Red King pulls away in San Juan Capistrano

The king of the hill is Red King.

Third last year in the historic San Juan Capistrano, Red King ascended to the top Sunday by capturing the traditional closing-day feature at Santa Anita, rallying for a 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $101,500 race for long-distance grass runners.

The San Juan Capistrano isn’t as prestigious at it once was, and, owing to a suspension of downhill turf sprints at Santa Anita for more than a year now, it is the only race that starts at the top of the hillside turf course, where the about 6 1/2-furlong turf sprints commenced. In the San Juan Capistrano, the runners are required to negotiate that portion of the course and then another lap, approximately 1 3/4 miles in all. It’s a beautiful race to watch.

Red King loved it. The longer the better for him. Since being claimed for $35,000 in February 2019, he has raced 10 times, five of those races at 1 3/8 miles or longer, and he has never finished worse than third, with a win, two seconds, and two thirds.

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On Sunday, Red King ($9.80), the second choice, got a gorgeous trip under Umberto Rispoli, who has been the breakout riding star of the season at Santa Anita. Red King settled comfortably for the first 1 1/4 miles of the race, gradually advanced on the leaders on the far turn, then ranged up three paths wide entering the lane, and kicked clear.

Siberian Iris, the only female in the field, closed from seventh in the eight-horse field to finish second. She finished three-quarters of a length in front of the odds-on favorite, Ward ’n Jerry, who took the lead around the clubhouse turn following the opening six furlongs and led at the mile mark in 1:37.53.

Tintoretto was fourth, then came, in order, Swamp Souffle, Avalanche, Soberano, and Kershaw.

Red King was timed in 2:46.67 on the firm course.

Red King, 6, is a son of English Channel who has now won six times in 27 starts, with three of those victories coming since being claimed by his current owners, a partnership of Little Feather Racing, Gordon Jacobsen, and Phil Belmonte. Red King won a first-level allowance race over this course May 24 in a tune-up for the San Juan Capistrano. He is now 5 for 12 at Santa Anita.

“It was my first time going from the top of the downhill and . . . it is beautiful,” Rispoli told Santa Anita’s publicity department. “The grass is amazing, it’s a really good track. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone so far in a race because in Europe, we used to go quite enough every day. But it was a good feeling, obviously you need a horse like that.”

Rispoli, in his first season at Santa Anita, finished third in the jockey standings, behind Flavien Prat and Abel Cedillo.

Phil D’Amato trains Red King. This was his second straight win in the San Juan Capistrano, following Acclimate last year.

“Growing up here in L.A., this was always one of my favorite races as a kid,” D’Amato said. “I remember I used to stand on the apron way past the wire and watch them come home in this race, just so I could take it all in. It’s an amazing race, and it’s really cool to win it.”