Phil D'Amato © Benoti Photo
PHILIP D’AMATO COMES LOCKED AND LOADED FOR 2025 DEL MAR MEET
It didn’t take long for trainer Phil D’Amato to get back into the swing of things at Del Mar. The 49-year-old conditioner swept both ends of the stakes doubleheader on the first Saturday of the meet, winning the $100,000 Wicker with Almendares and then the G2 San Clemente with Thought Process. He may have grabbed another stakes win had his 3-5 favorite Iron Man Cal not gone down to his nose at the start of the Oceanside Stakes before rushing up the rail to just miss winning the opening day feature.
Del Mar’s leading trainer in 2022 and 2023 has made a habit of winning lots of stakes, sometimes sweeping the exactas and, on occasion, taking the trifecta. D’Amato failed to win either training title at Del Mar in 2024, but he served notice this spring at Santa Anita, winning their Hollywood meet training crown, and he’s come out of the gate strong this summer at Del Mar.
“We definitely gear up for the second half of the year,” D’Amato says, “and Del Mar is part of that. The purses are really good here and it’s when the bigger races start to take hold leading into the Breeders’ Cup.”
D’Amato has his usual string of quality horses in the barn. He has Iscreamuscream, last year’s Horse of the Meet at Del Mar, who has yet to race in 2025.
“She’ll probably run during the second half of the meet,” D’Amato reveals. “You might see her run in the (G2 John) Mabee.”
That’s on closing weekend, September 6.
Gold Phoenix is back. The 7-year-old Irish-bred was supposed to run in the G2 Eddie Read last weekend, but was scratched the day of the race after suffering a cut to his leg in his stall. He’ll work this Sunday and be pointed to the G2 Del Mar Handicap August 30 on the Pacific Classic undercard, a race he’s won an unprecedented three straight years.
D’Amato could have at least two horses running in the G2 Del Mar Mile on Pacific Classic Day. He’s pointing Almendares to the race and he’s thinking of running King of Gosford, winner of this year’s G1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita.
Thought Process will step up after her win in the San Clemente. She’s being pointed to the G1 Del Mar Oaks on August 23. Also in the barn are Motorious, runner-up in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, as well as the 2024 John Mabee winner Hang the Moon.
D’Amato hopes to give Iron Man Cal another try before the meet ends. He says he wasn’t too frustrated with the near miss in the Oceanside.
“That was our prep for the Del Mar Derby,” D’Amato notes. “So as long as he came out of it in good shape and got something out of the Oceanside, we know, if he breaks well next time, he’ll be a main contender.”
THURSDAY’S OPENER A STAKES QUALITY ALLOWANCE
If it means taking off work a little early or leaving a few chores unfinished around the house, it will be worth it if it means you can get to Del Mar by the first post Thursday. The card kicks off at 2 p.m. with a dandy allowance race. The five furlong sprint carded for non-winners of three could easily pass for a stakes race.
Four of the five entries are battle tested in Graded stakes company beginning with Sorrento Sky, who ran third in the G3 San Simeon in March and a close second to Unconquerable Keen in the $100,000 Stormy Liberal last December during the Fall Turf Festival at Del Mar.
Boss Sully is out of the Brian Koriner barn. He ran a very game second to Think Big in the G2 Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. He also ran in the Stormy Liberal last fall, finishing third, one length behind Sorrento Sky.
There’s also Sumter, making his 2025 debut for trainer Richard Mandella. The last time we saw Sumter he was finishing second down the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in December, a head behind Motorious in the G2 Joe Hernandez.
Daniel’s Magic and Virat round out the field of five horses going to the post in the first of eight races Thursday afternoon. Don’t be late!!!
TOP 2-YEAR-OLD SPEEDY WILSON RETURNS IN REAL GOOD DEAL FRIDAY
Front and center for Cal-bred 3-year-olds Friday when eight of them compete in the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar. It’s a 7-furlong test on the main track and features the 2024 Cal-bred 2-year-old champion Speedy Wilson.
The son of Tough Sunday went 2-for-4 during his juvenile year, breaking his maiden at Santa Anita on his third try in late September. He followed that victory with an impressive win in the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Del Mar.
He hasn’t raced since, but D’Amato feels he has the colt cranked and ready for the Real Good Deal.
“He’s been ticking for a while,” D’Amato states. “I almost thought about running him at Los Al. This has been our goal, the last straight 3-year-old Cal-bred stake. Then we’ll probably stretch him out after this race.”
Speedy Wilson was supplemented into the race for $1,500.
He’s is one of two horses entered by owner and breeder Nick Alexander. The other is Shea Brennan, another Tough Sunday colt who won the $175,000 Cal Cup Derby in January only to be disqualified and placed second. It would have been his second win in a row following a victory in the $100,000 King Glorious at Los Alamitos. Prior to that race, he had finished third to stablemate Speedy Wilson in the Golden State Juvenile.
“He’s a nice horse,” D’Amato says. “I think he was just figuring things out there. We thought we would give him a little break and he’s come back very well.”
Style Cat presents a problem for the two D’Amato charges. He’s cutting back in distance and getting back on the dirt after running a distant sixth in the mile and an eighth $125,000 Snow Chief at Santa Anita on the Memorial Day weekend.
“He fits well with this very evenly matched group,” trainer Peter Miller notes. “He’s beaten some and been beaten by some. He likes this dirt racetrack here at Del Mar and I think the seven-eighths is a really good distance for him so it just kinda made sense.”
Style Cat broke his maiden at Del Mar last summer and ran second in the $100,000 I’m Smokin’. The son of Curlin To Mischief’s most recent win was the $125,000 Echo Eddie at Santa Anita in April.
It’s the 38th running of the Real Good Deal Stakes and goes off as Race 6 on the eight-race twilight card Friday. Probable post time is 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Style Cat (Juan Hernandez, 3-1); Shea Brennan (Antonio Fresu, 4-1); Last Call Zondlo (Edwin Maldonado, 15-1); Drop Um (Kyle Frey, 8-1); Speedy Wilson (Armando Ayuso, 5/2); Check’s on the Way (Hector I. Berrios, 6-1); Western Freedom (Kazushi Kimura, 5-1), and Keithing Thunder (Tyler Baze, 20-1).
HERNANDEZ BACK ON TOP IN JOCKEY STANDINGS
After two weeks of racing at Del Mar, jockey Juan Hernandez has taken his seat atop the rider standings, while Mark Glatt and Peter Miller share the top spot in the trainers’ rankings.
For Hernandez, leading the jockey standings is nothing new. Afterall, he’s been Del Mar’s top jock the past three summers. This year he’s won 12 races from 43 mounts with six seconds and four thirds. He’s piled up the highest earnings of all the riders, $897,060, and has one stakes win, the Daisycutter last Saturday.
Hernandez had eight trips to the winner’s circle last week. He won two races Thursday, got shut out Friday, made the lead Saturday with three wins and widened his lead Sunday with three more.
Last week’s leader, Antonio Fresu, has nine wins and Hector I. Berrios seven. Rounding out the Top 10 are Kazushi Kimura with six; Armando Ayuso and Abel Lezcano with four; the trio of Ricky Gonzalez, Umberto Rispoli and Tyler Baze with three each and five jockeys with two wins including Flavien Prat, who came out from the east coast and rode at Del Mar on Saturday.
There were five stakes races last weekend and five different jockeys were winners. Umberto Rispoli and Berrios lead the stakes parade with two victories a piece. Rispoli has taken the two Sunday features, the Osunitas and G2 Eddie Read. Berrios won two stakes on opening weekend when he captured the Oceanside and G2 San Clemente. He was back at Saratoga Saturday riding Baeza to a second-place finish behind Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty in the G2 Jim Dandy.
The trainers’ rankings are not so clear cut. Glatt and Miller are tied with six victories each. Both are past leading trainers at Del Mar. Glatt won his first title last fall and Miller has won nine total, five summer and four fall crowns. His latest was the summer of 2021.
“You never know what to expect in this game,” Miller says. “You’re always hopeful. Things have fallen into place. The barn’s working hard and the horses are running well so we’ll just try to keep it going.”
Defending champion Bob Baffert along with Michael McCarthy are next on the list with five wins followed by Phil D’Amato with four, and John Sadler, Doug O’Neill and Tim Yakteen with three.
Miller leads the trainers in earnings with $614,760. D’Amato and McCarthy lead the number of stakes won with two apiece. D’Amato won the San Clemente and the Wickerr opening weekend; McCarthy notched his two, the Daisycutter and the Eddie Read, this past weekend.
Kirk and Judy Robison lead all owners at the meet with three wins.
The average field size after two weeks at Del Mar is 8.83. On the turf it’s 9.24. 63 of the 70 races run so far have had a field size of seven horses or more.
615 horses have made a start this summer at Del Mar compared to 543 last year. 111 trainers have started at least one horse during the meet.
SPRAGUE TAKES A SWING, COMES AWAY SUMMER CHALLENGE WINNER
Tyler Sprague, a veteran handicapper from Las Vegas, took a big swing late and came away a big winner in Del Mar’s signature Summer Challenge handicapping contest.
The 22nd edition of the event was held last Saturday and Sunday and required its onsite players to sign on for $6,000, with $4,000 of it being their “betting stake” on Del Mar races and $2,000 going into a prize pool for the big winners. All told, 117 players came to play.
Sprague built his kitty, then in Sunday’s final race went for a $9,500 win wager and hit the proverbial jackpot. He wound up with $26,600 in winnings, which earned him the lion’s share of the prize pool -- $81,000 – as well as free entries into several other betting events, among them the Pacific Classic Betting Challenge at Del Mar on Saturday, August 30. All in all, Sprague netted $121,600 in cash and prizes.
The Challenge offered $234,000 in total prizes and the top 12 finishers took home portions of that. Finishing second was Brian Chenvert from Rogers, MN with $22,142 and third was Dylan Donnelly of Rancho Cucamonga, CA with $18,510.
COOLING OUT: Formidable Man came out of his victory in Sunday’s Eddie Read in good order and may be pointed to the G2 Del Mar Mile on Pacific Classic Day, August 30. “We’ll see what the next couple weeks bring,” says trainer Michael McCarthy…The National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies take place Friday morning in Saratoga Springs, New York. The new class includes 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones, George H. Conway, who’s best known for training War Admiral, and Arthur Hancock, founder of Claiborne Farm…Notable works this week: Monday -Full Serrano (4f, :48.40); Citizen Bull (5f, :58.40); Gaming (5f, :58.00); Madaket Road (5f, 1:00.00); Speed Boat Beach (5f, :59.20). Tuesday – Game Warrior (3f, :38.60). Thursday - Straight No Chaser (4f, :51.40) and Tamara (4f, :48.00). Turf - Mrs. Astor (4f, :49.80).