Phil D'Amato

Jockey Juan Hernandez, trainer Phil D'Amato and owner Paul and Zilla Reddam's Reddam Racing emerged victorious in their respective divisions during the 29-day Hollywood Meet at Santa Anita, which closed Sunday, June 16. Hernandez, a native of Veracruz, Mexico, was celebrating a sixth riding title at Santa Anita, having ridden 36 winners from 176 mounts (20.5%), one clear of Antonio Fresu, who joined the local riding colony just over 14 months ago. The Italian had one last chance to dead-heat with Hernandez, but fell just short in Sunday's 12th and...

Favored to defend his title in Sunday's GIII San Juan Capistrano S., Planetario (Brz) didn't disappoint, breaking his own course record over the 1 3/4-mile distance at Santa Anita in the process. Installed the 3-5 choice to repeat, the 6-year-old settled at the back as longshots Bee Catcher (English Channel) and Rimprotector (Point of Entry) led through moderate early fractions. Turning for home, 5-2 second choice Rockemperor closed resolutely from the outside, while Planetario launched his own bid in between rivals down the center of course. While the former appeared...

With a spring in his step down the lane, it was 'TDN Rising Star' Parenting (Justify) who won his first black-type in the Affirmed S. at Santa Anita Park on Sunday. The colt made his debut a success when he won by 2 3/4 lengths at 'The Great Race Place' Apr. 26. That effort earned him 'TDN Rising Star' honors. Trying two turns and against much tougher company here, Parenting was backed at 80 cents on the dollar. The Bob Baffert trainee got down to business heading into the first...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This column is highlighted by the victory of Pipsy during the Belmont at the Big A meeting in New York. Pipsy Soars In New York  Pipsy (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who races for Woodford Throughbreds, LLC, earned the first graded win of her career in the GIII Soaring Softly S. during Belmont's spring meeting at Aqueduct on Sunday (video). Trained by Will Walden, the filly is now three-for-four. The Noel Finegan-bred was a...

California-based GI Kentucky Derby runners Stronghold (Ghostzapper) and Endlessly (Oscar Performance) have returned to Santa Anita after their respective seventh- and ninth-place finishes at Churchill Downs, according to Santa Anita's track notes Thursday. Each was back in his own stall Tuesday. Stronghold jogged Thursday in his first time back to the track. "He came out of the race in good shape," trainer Phil D'Amato said Thursday morning of the Eric and Sharon Waller homebred. D'Amato continued: "I thought he got a good stalking trip behind the speed. He made a...

Jockey Antonio Fresu watched the 2023 GI Kentucky Derby on television. Though from Italy, he understood the importance of the race and knew that everybody, be it a jockey, trainer, owner, aspires to win it. But he had no reason to believe that he'd ever win the Derby, let alone ride in it. In late April of last year, just eight days before the Derby, he had started riding in the U.S. at Santa Anita. He was unknown and unproven to the trainers in the U.S. "I came here to...

Five contenders took advantage of a mild, dry Sunday morning in Louisville to put in final works at Churchill Downs ahead of next weekend's GI Kentucky Derby. First of the group to work was BC Stable's Just Steel (Justify), who went out just as the track opened at 5:15 a.m. Sunday. The bay colt worked four furlongs in :50.40 (52/60), registering splits of :13.40 and :25.20 before being eased up on the gallop out. "Just a slow maintenance work. We're close to the race, we didn't want to do much,"...

In the calm before the storm that will be next weekend's GI Kentucky Derby, a lone pair of graded turf races offer opportunities for older horses on the West Coast Saturday. Golden Gate Fields, whose closure was announced last year, cards their final GIII San Francisco Mile S. A full field of 12 lines up for the one-mile contest and while the race is open for those 3-years-old and up, the youngest runner is Blaine Wright's 4-year-old Clovisconnection (Vronsky). The class appears to be deepest amongst the 5-year-olds with Phil...

Coffee in Bed just got her neck in front of pacesetting Super Shine on the line to earn the first graded victory of her career in the GII Santa Maria S. at Santa Anita Sunday evening. The dark bay filly settled off the pace while shadowing favorite Desert Dawn as a four-way battle for the lead developed around the first turn. Super Shine asserted control into the backstretch as the quarter went up in :22.66. Desert Dawn and Coffee in Bed moved in tandem, four and five wide, to loom...

The GI Kentucky Derby picture may seem polarized by two more charismatic talents, but any neutral who ekes a living from bloodstock now has an alternative rooting interest. For among the colts entering those 20 coveted gates, the first Saturday in May, there will be no better symbol than Stronghold (Ghostzapper) of what it takes to last the course in the appallingly expensive, demoralizing, perplexing, maddening and addictive vocation of Thoroughbred breeding. The GI Santa Anita Derby winner carries the silks of Eric and Sharon Waller, who bred his third...

Newgrange (Violence), a head-scratching sixth behind Newgate (Into Mischief) in the GI Santa Anita H. Mar. 3, will bypass the Mar. 30 G1 Dubai World Cup, trainer Phil D'Amato said via text message Wednesday. The decision was finalized after the 5-year-old worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 (13/27) Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. "Newgrange is not going to Dubai," D'Amato texted. "We will regroup and race him stateside down the road." Winner of the GIII Sham S. and GIII Southwest S. for the SF Racing/Starlight/Madaket et. al. partnership while under the...

Between them, Irad and Jose Ortiz have accounted for four of the last six runnings of the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S., the third of three preps on the road to the championship meeting's main event, the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks down the road. The brothers will have every chance to extend that dominance as they partner with two of the top fancies in Saturday's $400,000 contest, offering the winner 50 points and a virtual guaranteed berth in the field for the GI Kentucky Derby. Jose Ortiz...