Barn Tour: D'Amato lines up his Breeders' Cup team

In a little more than a decade, Phil D'Amato has firmly established himself as one of the top trainer's on the Southern California circuit, particularly with turf horses. 

So far this year, the former assistant to the late Mike Mitchell has saddled seven individual graded-stakes winners while ranking 15th nationally in earnings with $5,688,250. He could break his personal earnings record set in 2019 ($6,396,890), particularly with any success at this year's Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. 

D'Amato's lone Breeders' Cup win came when Obviously, after four tries in the Breeders' Cup Mile, took down the Turf Sprint at Santa Anita as an 8-year-old. He will look to build on that resume with up to five starters at this year's World Championships. 

This week Horse Racing Nation caught up with the 45-year-old trainer for the latest on his stable's doings.

Ain’t Easy. The daughter of Into Mischief became one of the leading contenders for next month’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies when rolling to a 4 3/4-length win in last Friday’s Chandelier Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita.

“She came out of the race in really good shape,” D’Amato said. “It didn’t seem to take anything out of her. I was really happy with how she ran and how she bounced out of it. We’ll definitely be pointing her to the Breeders’ Cup.”

In the 1 1/16-miles Chandelier, Ain’t Easy and Joel Rosario sat just off the pace before seizing the lead near the half-mile pole and then extending their lead into the stretch and coasting to the wire. In her only prior start, Ain’t Easy romped against maidens in a 5 1/2-furlongs dash at Del Mar on Aug. 21.

“Winning at 5 1/2 was a surprise. I definitely thought she was a two-turn filly and she just motored away from some really nice fillies,” D’Amato said. “When they do that, you know in your head that you’ve got the real deal.

“Ahead of the Chandelier, I just kind of put some added mileage to her with long gallops and some longer works. I could never get her tired,” D’Amato added.

Ain’t Easy is out of the Australian-bred mare Amerstralia, by Fastnet Rock (Aus). She will likely be among the top betting choices in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. However, she also figures to have her hands full with the eastern-based rising star Echo Zulu for trainer Steve Asmussen.

“She’s definitely a filly to reckon with,” D’Amato said of Echo Zulu, who is 3-for-3 with wins in the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga and Frizette (G1) at Belmont Park. “She’s got an extra race under her belt and she’s won just as impressively in all her outings. I would say she’s the main contender at this point.”

Bred by Spendthrift Farm, Ain’t Easy was purchased for $400,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September yearling sale by Joey Platts. She is campaigned in partnership by Platts, Old Bones Racing and Michael V. Lombardi.

Desert Dawn. She earned her diploma going a mile at Del Mar in her second start Aug. 26 and came back to be third in the Chandelier. In that effort, the daughter of Cupid had just one horse beat early in the race before rallying in the stretch to take the show dough.

D’Amato was satisfied with the effort and said the Breeders’ Cup is also on the radar for Desert Dawn.

“I was impressed in the sense that opening weekend at Santa Anita, nobody was coming from behind on the dirt, I mean nobody,” D’Amato said. “She was one of the few horses in that race that battled against the bias and finished a decent third.

He added a return to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup should benefit the filly.

“I think her best track is Del Mar, where it kind of suits a closer better,” D’Amato said. “Given all that, we’ll see how she bounces out of (the Chandelier). She could be a contender for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Desert Dawn was bred in Arizona by H and E Ranch. She was entered at last year’s OBS October sale where she failed to meet her reserve on a final bid of $32,000. H and E Ranch now campaigns Desert Dawn.

Elm Drive. After winning the six-furlong Sorrento Stakes (G2) at Del Mar on Aug. 6, she was stretched around two turns in the Del Mar Debutante where she flashed early speed before losing touch with the field and being eased. 

Elm Drive took another crack at two turns in the Chandelier and things didn’t go much better. The daughter of Mohaymen stalked the pace early before faltering and finishing last.

After those two poor efforts, Elm Drive is done for the season. D’Amato said she will be given time off before returning for her 3-year-old season.

“We turned her out and will give her a nice break,” D’Amato said. “We’ll point her to sprint races for the time being. We took a shot, we wanted to see what she would do going long. But I think she told us that she wants one turn. So we’ll give her time to refresh, hit the reset button and clear her mind. Hopefully she’ll come back a stronger filly.”

Elm Drive was purchased earlier this year for $165,000 by Little Red Feather Racing at the OBS March 2-year-olds in training sale.

Helens Well. The Irish-bred import graduated in her U.S. bow at Del Mar and came back later in the meet to be second in the Sept. 5 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Returning in Sunday’s one-mile Surfer Girl at Santa Anita, Helens Well launched from second-last in an 11-horse field to get second once again under Flavien Prat.

“I think with the winner (Cairo Memories), Bob Hess Jr. has a really nice filly on his hands,” D’Amato said. “But I will say I think my filly appreciates the Del Mar turf course more than the standard turf course, which is more on the faster side. I think if we can get into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, we’ll take a swing at Del Mar.”

By Kodi Bear (Ire) out of the Elusive Quality mare Ever Evolving (Fr), Helens Well brought only $1,113 as a yearling when auctioned at Tattersalls. She ran fourth on debut at Roscommon earlier this year before coming to the U.S., where she is campaigned by Benowitz Family Trust, Madaket Stables, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano.

Gregorian Chant. The 5-year-old has been relegated to minor shares in graded stakes in his last three starts, including most recently a fourth-place finish in last Friday’s Eddie D Stakes going about 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita.

D’Amato said Gregorian Chant will not contest the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, which at Del Mar will be run at five furlongs.

“That is too short a trip for him,” D’Amato said. “But I think he’s a horse that will like that down the hill course down the road. We’ll give him a little break and have him ready for the Santa Anita winter meet.”

By Gregorian, English-bred Gregorian Chant is a multiple stakes winner with a record of 18: 6-0-3. He is campaigned by Old Bones Racing Stable, Slam Dunk Racing and Michael Nentwig.

Charmaine’s Mia. She also tried the Eddie D where she set the pace for more than a half mile under Flavien Prat before flattening out in the stretch to finish eighth.

“I would have preferred a different trip and I think if you talk to Flavien, he would say the same thing,” D’Amato said. “We had planned on sitting fourth or fifth and pouncing, but then next thing you know we’re in a speed duel going 21, 42 while being on the inside with two horses laying on us."

While D’Amato deemed the five-furlong Turf Sprint trip at Del Mar to be too sharp for stablemate Gregorian Chant, he believes it could be right in the wheelhouse of Charmaine’s Mia.

“I think going five-eighths at Del Mar, where you can just turn her loose, that might be a good distance for her,” D’Amato said. “We’re going to see how she trains, but potentially we could run her in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.”

A 5-year-old mare by The Factor, Charmaine’s Mia has compiled a record of 31: 7-4-2 with earnings of $474,476. D’Amato said she will likely be offered at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Going Global. The Irish-bred by Mehmas is 5-for-6 since arriving in the U.S., all in stakes company, which includes a win in the Aug. 21 Del Mar Oaks (G1) most recently. D’Amato has been reluctant to try the 3-year-old in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf largely due to its 11-furlong distance, instead preferring the one-mile Goldikova Stakes (G2) on the Nov. 6 undercard. But this week, D’Amato indicated Going Global is possible for the headliner.

“There is a chance we can run in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, we’re just going to kind of see how the field shapes up,” D’Amato said. “If the distance was just a little bit shorter, I’d give it even more consideration. But we’ll see. Hopefully we’ll be running on Breeders’ Cup day in one of those two.”

Silver Surfer. The English-bred son of Caravaggio had a maiden win in five starts overseas before being imported for the Del Mar meet by Sierra Racing and Sterling Stables.

After finishing third in the Sept. 6 Del Mar Juvenile Turf in his U.S. bow, Silver Surfer returned to be second to Mackinnon by 2 1/4 lengths in last Sunday’s Zuma Beach at Santa Anita. D’Amato said he exited the race in good order and would likely run in a non-Breeders’ Cup stakes at the Del Mar fall meet.

“He’s still a work in progress,” D’Amato said. “I think he’ll be a really nice 3-year-old. He’s got that body and look of a horse that can develop into a nice miler type. He’s got a bunch of races under his belt, so we’re probably looking at running him one time at Del Mar and then giving him a break until his 3-year-old campaign.”

Acclimate. The 7-year-old gelding, who contested the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita, looked to be as good as ever when a valiant second by a nose to United in last Saturday’s John Henry Turf Championship (G2). The gelded son of Acclamation led every step of the way in the 1 1/4-miles turf test until getting nailed on the wire by a fast-closing United.

“He showed he’s still got it. I was extremely happy with how he ran and how he came out of it,” D’Amato said.

He added it was unlikely Acclimate makes a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“I don’t think the track profile really favors his style on the Del Mar turf course,” D’Amato said. “I’ll likely run him at the very end of the Del Mar meet in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G1). Usually by the end of the meet there in the fall, the turf course gets a little faster. That might suit his style a little better, but the Breeders’ Cup is out for him.”

Owned by The Ellwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing and Ken Tevelde, Acclimate has a record of 27: 7-5-5 with earnings of $633,872 in four seasons of racing.