Gold Phoenix © Benoit Photo
There are so many factors that go into having a horse win a particular race three years in a row. There’s keeping the horse in top form over a long period of time. There’s having that horse primed and ready for the particular race every year and then there’s actually going out and winning the race.
That’s why Gold Phoenix winning the G2 Del Mar Handicap three years in a row last year was such a remarkable feat, not only for the horse but for the trainer who conditions him and the team of people who handle him every day.
“The good thing about Little Red Feather is they always do right by their horses,” D’Amato contends, “and they let me manage them the proper way. That’s why we have a chance at winning four Del Mar Handicaps.”
Gold Phoenix, a now 7-year-old son of Irish stallion Belardo, will be back again this year, trying to make it an unprecedented four-in-a-row in the ‘Handicap’, run as part of the undercard on Pacific Classic Day this Saturday at Del Mar. It’s at a marathon distance of a mile and three-eighths on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
“It would be tremendous,” D’Amato says about winning the ‘Handicap’ for a fourth time. “Just for the horse alone, the prestige behind it all, that would be awesome. It takes a total team. His exercise rider has been with him since day one. Same with his groom and everyone else.”
Gold Phoenix comes into the race off of a third-place finish to Final Boss in a salty allowance race three weeks ago. It was designed as a prep and D’Amato could not have been more pleased, short of winning the race.
“Going a mile I think it was a good prep,” trainer Phil D’Amato says. “Now we’re going to get the distance I think he prefers.”
Flavien Prat, who will be in for the big weekend at Del Mar, will ride Gold Phoenix in the ‘Handicap’.
Final Boss is back to see if he can upset the three-time winner again. The son of American Pharoah won the allowance race Gold Phoenix used as a prep.
“He showed more versatility,” trainer John Sadler notes. “That was the first time he laid off of the pace. Juan (Hernandez) said he didn’t need the pace. But he’s a horse who’s doing very well here. I think he’s a contender.”
Final Boss has run four times in 2025 and won two of them.
Trainer Leonard Powell will start Nitti in the Del Mar Handicap. The Irish-bred won the G3 San Juan Capistrano last out at Santa Anita, a race that is run at a mile and three quarters.
Stay Hot is out of the Peter Eurton barn. He won last year’s La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar and ran second to Formidable Man in the G2 Mathis Mile at Santa Anita at the end of last year. He’s only run twice this year, winning the $250,000 Texas Turf Classic at Lone Star Park and then ran third in the G2 Eddie Read at Del Mar.
Atitlan could be a serious threat to spoil Gold Phoenix’ party. The son of The Factor won back-to-back graded stakes earlier this year. He captured the mile and a half G3 San Luis Rey at Santa Anita in March and then the G2 Charles Whittingham in May.
Finally, Truly Quality, last year’s G2 Hollywood Turf Cup winner, will try to get his conditioner Jonathan Thomas back in the winner’s circle. He’s only run once this year, a sixth-place finish in the G3 San Marcos in February at Santa Anita.
The G2 Del Mar Handicap is a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the Breeders’ Cup Turf. It goes off as the 11th and final race on the Pacific Classic Day card.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys: Balnikhov (Antonio Fresu); Adios Cole (Ricardo Gonzalez); Nitti (Armando Ayuso); Stay Hot (Mike Smith); Atitlan (Hector I. Berrios); Mondego (Kazushi Kimura); Truly Quality (Umberto Rispoli); Final Boss (Juan Hernandez); Endlessly (John Velazquez); City Exile (Paco Lopez), and Gold Phoenix.