Barn Tour: D’Amato’s 9 include a Kentucky Derby hopeful

In his 15th year as a trainer, Phil D’Amato has won five titles at Santa Anita, including the last three in the winter-spring season. He has won or shared seven at Del Mar, including the last three autumns and the last two summers.

As dominant as he has been in California, and with Bob Baffert ineligible to take part in Kentucky Derby 2024, D’Amato and Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby victor Stronghold could be the state’s only trainer and horse in America’s biggest race come May 4.

“It’s one of those things that may or may not be,” said D’Amato, who turned 48 on Monday. “We’ll see if we’re the only representation or not, but the horse is doing really well, and hopefully we can get there.”

Stronghold and Newgrange, the beaten favorite this month in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), were two of the nine horses D’Amato discussed Thursday for a Horse Racing Nation Barn Tour. Aside from those dirt specialists, most of D’Amato’s horses have found success on the turf.

Stronghold. Winning at Sunland Park near El Paso, Texas, last month lifted Eric and Sharon Waller’s homebred colt to 25 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Those might be just enough to get into the starting gate at Churchill Downs, but that does not mean D’Amato is sitting still with the 3-year-old son of Ghostzapper.

“That’s yet to be determined,” said D’Amato, who has yet to train a horse in the Kentucky Derby. “We’re going to find the right spot definitely for him. It could be any number of places. He’s shown he can ship well pretty much everywhere. I think every race he’s run at has been on a different track.”

Five tracks, in fact. A runner-up finish on debut last summer at Ellis Park was followed by a maiden win in October at Churchill Downs. Second-place results came next in the Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar and the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). The Sunland victory came in Stronghold’s first start of this year.

“I think maybe late (this) week we’ll get more serious on figuring out the right spot for him,” D’Amato said, “hopefully to lead us to the Kentucky Derby.”

Newgrange. The millionaire 5-year-old Violence horse owned by David Bernsen, Billy Koch’s Little Red Feather Racing and Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch was within a length of the lead at the top of the stretch in the Big ’Cap. Then Newgrange quickly faded quickly to finish sixth. Something definitely went wrong. “We think we figured out the culprit there,” D’Amato said. “I think he displaced (his epiglottis) going into the first turn. When he came back, he made some noise. We’re going to do some further diagnostics with that in the weeks to come to see his breathing and see if we need to do something there. But physically he’s come back really good.”

Honey Pants. The 6-year-old mare was the winner atop a D’Amato exacta Jan. 14 in the 6 1/2-furlong La Ciénega (G3) on the turf at Santa Anita. The six-furlong Serena’s Song on the Tapeta at Turfway Park on March 30 not only will be the next race for Honey Pants. It will be her last. “Honey Pants is going to run I think one time in Kentucky, and then she’s going to be bred,” D’Amato said. Owned by Bakster Farm and Gerry Isbister, the daughter of Cairo Prince was a first-time stakes winner in the La Ciénega.

Elm Drive. The back end of that La Ciénega exacta was filled by this Little Red Feather-owned, 5-year-old Mohaymen mare who could stay home in Southern California or head for Kentucky next out. “We might run her at Santa Anita,” D’Amato said with an eye on the 6 1/2-furlong Monrovia (G3) on the dirt. “Or we might ship her to Keeneland. They’ve got some nice races over there in Kentucky, a couple back to back.” Not having the condition book in front of him when he was speaking last week, D’Amato could consider the turf with the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) on April 12 or the 1 1/16-mile Doubledogdare (G3) on April 19 for Elm Drive, whose distance range has been 6 1/2 to 8 1/2 furlongs the last two seasons.

Gold Phoenix. Idle since he finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the Ireland-bred, 6-year-old Belardo gelding may make his 2024 debut March 31 in a Grade 3 turf mile. “We’re going to possibly run him back in the American Stakes at Santa Anita at the end of the month,” D’Amato said. A $1,221,757 earner for Little Red Feather, Sam Herzberg’s Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify, the winner of last year’s Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) stretched to a five-furlong workout last week. “I’d give him a chance for a couple more five-eighths and run in that spot,” D’Amato said, adding the 1 1/8-mile, $1 million Turf Classic (G1) on May 4 at Churchill Downs as a possible long-term goal.

Easter. Coming off a runner-up finish March 3 in the Kilroe Mile on a turf course that was rated good, the 6-year-old, France-bred Exosphere gelding is being pointed to the same course and distance for a May 27 race D’Amato knows quite well. “Definitely we’re going to take another swing in the Shoemaker,” he said, referring to the race he has won four times in the 10 years since it was moved from Hollywood Park to Santa Anita. “Another Grade 1 (Breeders’ Cup Mile) win-and-you’re-in.” Owned by Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, Easter was a two-time Grade 2 winner at the end of 2023. D’Amato was pleased with his late rally to finish second to Du Jour in the Kilroe Mile. “Kind of just got out-tripped by that other horse who ran phenomenal for Bob (Baffert), but he’s come back really good, and we’re just putting him on a path to take us to the Breeders’ Cup.”

Motorious. The gelded son of Muhaarar has not raced since he finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint four months ago at Santa Anita. A two-time Grade 3 winner last year in Southern California, Motorious returned to the work tab last month as he moves closer to his first race as a 6-year-old. “He could run in a prep or maybe just wait for the (Turf Sprint, G2) he finished second in on Derby week at Churchill, the grass sprint there, or possibly the Jaipur (G1) in New York (at Saratoga in June). He might go in one of those two spots. Once I get him up to five-eighths of a mile (in workouts), we’ll kind of narrow it down and see when he’s going to be 100 percent fit and find one of those races.” Bred to race in his native England at ages 2 and 3, Motorious is owned by Tony Fanticola.

Balnikhov. Fifth last month in the one-mile Thunder Road on the Santa Anita turf, this 5-year-old gelding is winless in his last seven starts. D’Amato said he is aiming the Ireland-bred son of Adaay to return to the scene of his last triumph more than 10 months ago at Golden Gate Fields. “We’re going to try to run him back in the race he won last year, the San Francisco Mile (G3),” he said. “We’re going to have him fresh and ready to run in April when that race happens. Maybe after that we’ll work our way back east or Midwest with him.” Bred in Ireland and originally raced in France, Balnikhov was bought in a private sale 1 1/2 years ago by Little Red Feather, Madaket and Old Bones Racing.

Bellabel. Coming off a more than 15-month break, this Ireland-bred, 5-year-old Belardo mare won the Megahertz (G3) last month before finishing fifth behind gate-to-wire winner Ruby Nell in the one-mile Buena Vista (G2) on March 3. “That was just a little disappointing, you know?” D’Amato said. “(Ruby Nell) was just kind of the lone speed there. We were chasing her at a fast pace and kind of took her out of her game. She pretty much kind of had us follow her to try to put some pressure on. It really didn’t work out to our advantage. We’ll regroup and try to find another race for her.” Owned by Agave Racing Stable, the Benowitz family trust, CYBT, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano, Bellabel is 4: 3-0-0 racing in turf miles since she was transferred to D’Amato from the Ireland stable of Jessica Harrington.