ARCADIA — This one was for all the longtime Santa Anita racegoers who yearn for the days when the San Juan Capistrano Stakes was won by horses of distinction.
Sunday, Gold Phoenix and jockey Hector Berrios won the San Juan Capistrano in a tour de force around four turns and about 1-3/4 miles of turf, polishing the reputations of the 8-year-old gelding and the 92-year-old race.
“It means a lot to me to win this race, especially with this horse,” Phil D’Amato, Gold Phoenix’s trainer, said of America’s longest race of significance. “To keep its prestige would be great. Hopefully Gold Phoenix winning it helps to do that.”
The San Juan Capistrano’s purse has shrunk from $500,000 to $100,000 and its class has slipped from Grade I to Grade III. This year, it even lost its distinction of being the closing-day highlight at Santa Anita. The winter-spring meet will conclude Monday after Santa Anita added a day to make up for the cancellation of four races following a power outage last Thursday.
But Gold Phoenix (who paid $2.80) is a Grade I winner who was recording his 10th victory at the graded stakes level at Santa Anita and Del Mar and his 12th victory overall in a 33-race career that started in Ireland in 2021, going over $2.4 million in earnings. He’s owned by a partnership of Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify.
Winning his first try at the San Juan Capistrano meant Gold Phoenix has conquered seven different distances from 7 furlongs to about 1-3/4 miles, including 1 mile in the Grade I Kilroe in 2023, 1-1/2 miles in the San Luis Rey in March and 1-3/8 miles four times in the summer Del Mar Handicap.
Eighth in the nine-horse field coming down the turf hillside, Berrios moved up once they reached the backstretch, put away leader Goldeneye at the top of the homestretch and pulled away to win by a career-best five lengths. The time, 2:44.76, was the fastest for the San Juan Capistrano since 2010. American Hope finished third.
“I looked at the (infield video board) and saw the other horses were maybe five lengths back,” Berrios said. “I just sat and let him go easy to the finish.”
Monday’s closing card features the Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds and a down-to-the-wire battle for the jockeys’ championship in the Hollywood Meet portion of the 5-1/2-month season.
Antonio Fresu rode three winners Sunday to take a 33-31 lead over Armando Ayuso, who blanked. Ayuso is named on seven horses Monday, including one favorite. Fresu is named on four.
Third in the standings with 27 wins is Juan Hernandez, who didn’t accept mounts for the final two days at Santa Anita – for a jolly good reason. Hernandez was scheduled to fly to England on Sunday to prepare to ride at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet for the first time.
Hernandez has three horses for American trainer Wesley Ward: 12-1 Ruiva in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Wednesday, 14-1 Bacio in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap for 3-year-olds, and 10-1 Ez Tina in Saturday’s Group 2 Norfolk Stakes for 2-year-olds.
D’Amato has clinched the trainers title, leading John Sadler 22 wins to 14. Gold Phoenix’s victory was a good way to top it off.