ARCADIA, Calif. – The veteran turf runner Gold Phoenix is unlikely to race again until late July after finishing a troubled seventh in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Trainer Phil D’Amato said at Santa Anita on Sunday that the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on July 26 at Del Mar is a summertime goal for Gold Phoenix, who has won 11 of 32 starts and earned $2,377,087. A nine-time stakes winner, Gold Phoenix was beaten 8 3/4 lengths by the impressive winner Rhetorical in the $1.41 million Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles. Gold Phoenix raced in traffic at a pivotal time in early stretch and finished 1 1/2 lengths behind third-place finisher Corruption. “I think he would have been second or third” without the trouble, D’Amato said. “I don’t think he wins, by any means.” :: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. Gold Phoenix adores Del Mar’s turf course, having won five stakes on it, including the last four runnings of the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles at the end of the summer meeting. An 8-year-old Irish-bred, Gold Phoenix was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf in 2024 and fifth last year, the best finish of an American-based horse. Gold Phoenix was entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita, but he was withdrawn in favor of the start at Churchill Downs. D’Amato expects to have a strong team in the $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes. His group may include The Padre, who won the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby last August. In the Whittingham, The Padre finished third by 1 1/2 lengths as the 7-10 favorite in a field of five. The Whittingham was The Padre’s second start of the year, preceded by a second in an allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on turf April 3. “I don’t think he’s a mile-and-a-quarter horse,” D’Amato said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.