Gold Phoenix wins Eddie Read, D'Amato sweeps superfecta

Trainer Phil D'Amato saddled the top four finishers in Sunday's Grade 2, $250,000 Eddie Read at Del Mar including winner Gold Phoenix for owners Little Red Feather, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify. 

Gold Phoenix (9-2) sat a perfect pocket trip under Hector Berrios in a nine-horse field before surging to the front in the mid-stretch and holding off stablemate Balnikhov for the victory. Rounding out the all-D'Amato superfecta, which paid $52.09 for a dime, were pacesetting Masteroffoxhounds (7-1) and 9-5 favorite Count Again. 

Gold Phoenix paid $11 after completing 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:48.62. Fractions were 24.54, 49.20, 1:13.07 and 1:36.73 for a mile. 

A 5-year-old Irish-bred gelding by Belardo, Gold Phoenix collected his third graded stakes win. He won the Frank E. Kilroe Mile three starts back in March at Santa Anita and last summer won the Del Mar Handicap (G2) at Del Mar.