Santa Anita: Grade 1 winner Gold Phoenix leads John Henry

Grade 1 winner Gold Phoenix, who pushed his earnings past $1.5 million when narrowly winning last month’s Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, will try for his seventh graded-stakes victory when he takes on 10 rivals in the Grade 2, $750,0000 John Henry Turf Championship on Saturday at Santa Anita.

The 1 1/4 mile race is one of five stakes that include the California Crown (G1), Eddie D (G2), City of Hope Mile (G2) and Unzip Me.

In the 1 3/8-mile Del Mar Handicap Aug. 11, only a neck separated the top three finishers: Gold Phoenix, Dicey Mo Chara and Balnikhov. All three, plus fourth-place finisher Rockemperor, return for another round in the about 1 1/4-mile John Henry.

In the Del Mar Handicap, Gold Phoenix stalked the pace under Kyle Frey before rallying along the rail to nail front-running Dicey Mo Chara by a neck on the wire. The victory pushed Gold Phoenix’s record to 21: 8-3-3 with $1,522,757 in earnings.

Earlier this year, Gold Phoenix, who is one of five entered in the John Henry for trainer Phil D’Amato, won the Charles Whittingham (G2), which is also contested at about 1 1/4 miles on Santa Anita’s Camino Real Hillside Turf Course.

Bred in Ireland, Gold Phoenix is a 6-year-old gelding by Belardo. Last year, he finished fifth in the John Henry for owners Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify.

Balnikhov launched from off the pace in the Del Mar Handicap but came up a neck short under Kazushi Kimura. On Saturday, Balnikhov will be ridden by Flavien Prat with Kimura shifting to his stablemate, Seven Wonders.

Balnikhov enters with a record of 28: 7-5-6 with $1,053,843 in earnings. Bred in Ireland, the 5-year-old gelding by Adaay earlier this year won the Dinner Party Stakes (G3) at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard May 18. If Balnikhov were to add a win in the John Henry, he would then be in line to receive the 1/ST Grand 3 Turf Bonus of $2.5 million if he were to also win next year’s Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Dicey Mo Chara will try and do one better for trainer Leonard Powell after his gut-wrenching defeat in the Del Mar Handicap. That day Dicey Mo Chara was hounded throughout on the front-end, was momentarily headed on the final turn, then retook the lead before being edged late by Gold Phoenix.

Dicey Mo Chara’s only graded-stakes win came in last year’s San Gabriel (G2) going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita. Bred in England, the 6-year-old Adaay gelding has a record of 25: 4-7-4 with $608,777 in earnings.

European import Divin Propos makes his U.S. stakes debut for D’Amato following a sharp allowance win at Del Mar going 1 3/8 miles on turf Aug. 22. In what was his third start domestically, Divine Propos was keen while stalking the pace along the inside, took over at the top of the stretch and comfortably held off graded-stakes winner Offlee Naughty to score by a length. Jockey Antonio Fresu has been aboard for all three U.S. starts and again has the call Saturday.