Gold Phoenix dominates San Juan Capistrano Stakes at new distance

Gold Phoenix made 1 3/4 miles look like his comfort zone, rolling past Goldeneye in the stretch and drawing clear by five lengths in the San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita. The 8-year-old Irish-bred gelding answered the toughest distance test of his career on firm turf and delivered trainer Phil D’Amato another signature win in the race that has become the West Coast’s staying showcase.

The victory came in 2:44.76 for the $100,000 Grade 3, with Gold Phoenix, carrying 126 pounds, paying $2.80 to win, $2.20 to place and $2.10 to show. Goldeneye held second and American Hope was third in the race, which went off as race 9 at 5:11 p.m. on June 14. Hector Berrios, who had ridden Gold Phoenix in his two most recent starts, kept the veteran within range before asking for his run turning for home, and the gelding responded with the kind of late acceleration that has defined his career.

For D’Amato, the San Juan Capistrano was his fourth win in the race after three straight victories from 2019 through 2021, further cementing his hold on the California turf marathon division. Gold Phoenix entered with 32 starts and $2,377,087 in earnings, and the San Luis Rey Stakes winner in March added a ninth graded stakes victory to a record already built on consistency at 1 3/8 miles, 1 1/2 miles and beyond. He had also made 25 stakes starts, a workload that underlines how rare it is to find a horse sound enough to keep showing up for these long-distance assignments.

That durability gives the result meaning beyond one afternoon at Santa Anita. The San Juan Capistrano is the longest stakes in California, and a horse like Gold Phoenix can shape how the division develops at Santa Anita, Del Mar and other West Coast turf circuits that still value stamina over speed. Horses with his combination of tactical position, class and finishing power are hard to replace, and even harder to find in American racing, where the marathon game has narrowed in recent years.

The win also strengthened Gold Phoenix’s place as one of the most reliable distance horses in the country. Owned by Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, LLC and Marsha Naify, and bred by Mighty Universe Ltd., he has turned every start into evidence that long turf races still have a standard-bearer in California. This was not just a victory at a new distance; it was a reminder that a proven stayer can still command an entire division.