DEL MAR – A member of the large party entering the winner’s circle after Saturday’s Del Mar Handicap held up three fingers on her right hand, and as the day progressed her gesture wound up having multiple meanings.
At the time, she was signifying Gold Phoenix had won the Grade II race for the third straight year, joining an exclusive club at Del Mar.
Only four other horses in the track’s nine-decade history have pulled off a three-peat in graded stakes races — a list that features Hall of Famers Native Diver, Flawlessly and Zenyatta, as well as the sprinter Track Gal.
The woman might have been celebrating away from the track hours later when Gold Phoenix’s trainer, Phil D’Amato, completed his own three-peat of sorts.
D’Amato entered three stakes races Saturday and won all three, with Motorious in the $150,000 Green Flash Handicap and Conclude in the $300,000 Del Mar Mile completing the hat trick.
“This is fun,” D’Amato said. “It’s fun for my help, it’s fun for my owners, and that’s what’s most important.”
There was a twist to Gold Phoenix’s three-peat. The 6-year-old Irish-bred gelding did it with three different jockeys. Flavien Prat was aboard in 2022, Juan Hernandez last year and Saturday it was Kyle Frey’s turn.
“Kyle Frey’s probably breezed this horse for a couple years for me,” D’Amato said. “I give him a lot of credit along with my great staff.”
Said Frey: “He’s such a cool horse. He just does what he does and he loves to fight. Coming for home today on the inside I was hoping something was going to open up. I said to myself, if it doesn’t I’m going to make open up. Didn’t have to, happily.”
Favored Gold Phoenix ($6.80) was third behind the pedestrian pace setter Dicey Mo Chara and Master Piece for more than a mile of the 1 3/8-mile race. But as Dicey Mo Chara moved off the rail turning into the stretch, Frey had his opening. Gold Phoenix needed most of the final furlong to get past Dicey Mo Chara but finally did so about 15 yards from the wire. Balnikov and Rockemperor were next, giving D’Amato a 1-3-4 finish in the six-horse field.
As he did the previous two years, Gold Phoenix earned a fees-paid berth to the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Turf. He finished 10th and fourth the first two times, but this year’s race will be contested over a Del Mar course where he’s now won four of six starts.
Other races
• Conclude ($12.20), a 4-year-old son of 2017 Pacific Classic winner Collected, led from gate to wire under Hector Berrios and held off another D’Amato horse, Almendares, by a head to win his fourth career stakes race, and third at Del Mar. Favored First Peace was sixth in the Grade II race.
• Motorious ($6.60) also is a fan of Del Mar’s turf course, winning his third race without a loss including last year’s Grade III Green Flash. He had not run well in two starts this season but rallied through the stretch to earn another fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Antonio Fresu rode the 2-1 favorite, while Johnny Podres was second and No Nay Hudson third.
• Racing around two turns for the first time, Hope Road ($3) acted like she’d be doing it all her life, romping to a 5-length win in the $150,000, Grade III Torrey Pines Stakes. The 3-year-old Quality Road filly took over the lead from Soho on the far turn and was never threatened under Hernandez. Nothing Like You, also from winning trainer Bob Baffert’s barn, was second.
