Phil D'Amato

Santa Anita will play host to three Grade I races, while Grade III action features the return of a champion at Churchill Downs and a talented Louisiana-bred attempting to make the grade at Lone Star Park during holiday stakes action Monday. The GI Shoemaker Mile S. at Santa Anita is set to be the first of 41 Breeders' Cup Challenge series races in North America this year. A field of 11 goes postward seeking the winner's share of the $500,000, as well as an automatic berth in the GI Breeders'...

Conclude (Collected) earned his first black-type victory at The Great Race Place on Sunday afternoon after finishing a debut second when he sprinted over the Santa Anita turf Jan. 21 and then when he broke his maiden over that surface Mar. 4 by 4 1/4 lengths. However, the chestnut colt missed the board as the short-priced favorite when he tried the Hillside for the first time in the John Shear S. Apr. 9. Sent off as the 8-5 second choice here, Conclude made the front with the 1-1 chalk First...

Juan Hernandez was the leading rider and Phil D'Amato topped the trainer's list at Santa Anita's 43-day Classic Meet, which concluded Sunday. Tim and Mark Cohen's Rancho Temescal and Red Baron's Barn were the meet's leading owners. Hernandez, a 31-year-old native of Veracruz, Mexico won four races on opening day and never slowed down, adding two races on closing day Sunday to give him 63 victories for the meet, more than double that of runner-up Flavien Prat's 31. In the all-important stakes-won category, it was Hernandez leading Prat 13 to...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at the success of European-based sires in North America, on a semi-weekly basis. This column (Feb. 26-Mar. 5) is highlighted by the victory of Gold Phoenix in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita on Saturday, Mar. 4. One of several Europeans to cause a stir Stateside on Saturday, Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) became the first top-level winner for his sire with a neck victory in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. (video). Offered by co-breeder/owner...

In becoming the latest Grade I-winning import for trainer Phil D'Amato at Santa Anita on Sunday, Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) advertised the quality Ireland has to offer the international buyers, according to the horse's breeder Jim Ryan of Milltown Stud.  Gold Phoenix stormed to Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. glory for D'Amato, who has done similarly-well with Irish-breds Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) in recent times. It was the gelding's debut victory at Dundalk for Kieran Cotter in 2021 that caught the attention...

Gold Phoenix (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) jumped out of the ground with an eighth of a mile to run in Saturday's GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita and outsprinted the fast-finishing Du Jour (Temple City) for a maiden success at the top level. Beaten for speed, the chestnut settled in the second half of the field as Air Force Red (Air Force Blue) cut out a modest pace of :47.06 for the opening half-mile while pursued by Masteroffoxhounds (War Front). The Kilroe field was tightly bunched as they...

   One of the finest turf trainers in America, Phil D'Amato has done exceptionally well with his European imports in recent years, highlighted by Grade I winner Going Global and more recently American Oaks scorer Rhea Moon.     In this week's Q&A with Brian Sheerin, D'Amato explained how, with the help of Niall Dalton, Craig Rounsefell and BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe, he has built one of the most competitive stables in America.      Read about his approach to finding 'diamonds in the rough' on a budget, his training methods and...

Let go as the fourth betting choice at overlaid odds for Sunday's GII San Marcos S., Prince Abama (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) came with a stinging late rally to peg back Masteroffoxhounds (War Front) for his second success at the graded level. Midfield for the run through the stretch for the first time, Prince Abama drifted back a spot passing the three-quarter pole, but was nicely relaxed under a long hold from Flavien Prat, spotting front-running Evan Harlan (Temple City) and the stalking Masteroffoxhounds about five lengths. Slipped a bit of...

Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was produced by the hot-riding Juan Hernandez approaching the final furlong and fought her way past pace-pressing stablemate School Dance (Animal Kingdom) in the final couple of jumps to win Monday's GI American Oaks at Santa Anita. A 6-1 gamble exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the GIII Autumn Miss S. going a mile over this course Oct. 29, Rhea Moon was one of the last away, but improved along the inside while tugging a bit for her head and raced fourth-last with a circuit...

Just minutes after her stablemate Balnikhov (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}) took Keeneland's GIII Bryan Station S., millionaire Going Global added another graded tally to her CV in what is likely to be the final start of her career. The bay is set to be offered next Sunday as hip 292 at Fasig-Tipton's Night of the Stars. The Irish import won six of her first seven Stateside starts, including the GI Del Mar Oaks last August followed by a score in this event last term when it was held at Del Mar...

For the second year in a row, Going To Vegas (Goldencents) led past every pole and proved an easy winner of the GI Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita, punching her ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf in Lexington four weeks down the road. Kentucky raider Family Way (Uncle Mo), narrowly second in the wagering ahead of Going To Vegas, ran on late to complete the exacta, while longshot Bellamore (Empire Maker) spiced up the exotics in third. Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}), the 3-2 chalk, could...

Highlighted by the buzz around Flightline (Tapit)'s stellar GI TVG Pacific Classic performance in the track's signature event, Del Mar had record wagering and field size for the 31-day summer meet that ended Sunday, as well as a continued excellent safety record for the fourth consecutive year. There were no catastrophic injuries among 2,688 starters in the meet's 294 races. The 83rd summer meet at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) set new records for average daily handle with $18.69 million a day, an increase of 1.5% from last year's $18.41...