Gold Phoenix Leads D'Amato Squad in Charlie Whittingham

Santa Anita Park's leading trainer with 30 wins through April 6, Phil D'Amato starts three horses in the $200,000 Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) April 8, led by Gold Phoenix , who is favored in pursuit of a second consecutive graded stakes win. With Kazushi Kimura set to ride him back, Gold Phoenix heads a field of seven older horses at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

In what appeared to be his best race to date, 5-year-old gelding Gold Phoenix burst through at the rail late under Kimura to win the March 4 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita.

Three-for-10 with D'Amato stateside, Gold Phoenix, although winless in two tries at 1 1/4 miles on turf, was a close third on both occasions, beaten 1 3/4 lengths seven starts back in last year's Whittingham and, more recently, when beaten a neck three races back in the John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Oct. 1.

A 5-year-old Belardo  gelding owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables, and Marsha Naify, Gold Phoenix is 4-3-3 in 11 overall starts with earnings of $675,257.

Likely to control the early pace under Umberto Rispoli is fellow D'Amato trainee Masteroffoxhounds , who ran sixth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths by his stablemate Gold Phoenix in the Kilroe Mile after chasing the pace. A start earlier, he was second, beaten a neck in the Feb. 5 San Marcos Stakes (G3T).

Owned by Gary Hartunian's Rockingham Ranch, Masteroffoxhounds , a 6-year-old horse by War Front  , has two wins and three seconds from six tries at the Whittingham distance. He was a close second in last year's Charlie Whittingham.

D'Amato also runs the class-rising Midnight Jostar .

Dicey Mo Chara , idle since a troubled sixth, beaten 1 3/4 lengths in going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the San Marcos, would benefit from a lively pace with leading rider Juan Hernandez aboard. A half-length winner of the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) at 1 1/8 miles on turf Dec. 26, Dicey Mo Chara lacked room late in the 10-horse San Marcos. 

A classy 5-year-old Adaay  gelding trained by Leonard Powell for owners Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, Dicey Mo Chara has an overall mark of 4-4-3 in 18 starts with earnings of $430,777.

Also meriting attention is Opry , a 7-year-old gelding by Declaration of War  owned by David Bernsen, Rockingham Ranch, Mark Gorman, and Andrew Schwindt. A grade 3 winner on grass in New York at age 2, he has shown improvement for her current connections lately after being claimed for $25,000 in November. He was third in the San Marcos last out for trainer George Papaprodromou.

Entries: Charles Whittingham S. Presented by FanDuel TV (G2T)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, April 08, 2023, Race 5

• Grade II
• 1 1/4m
• Downhill turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 2:02 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Opry (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	120	George Papaprodromou	4/1
2	2Dicey Mo Chara (GB)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Leonard Powell	5/1
3	3Midnight Jostar (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Philip D'Amato	4/1
4	4Offlee Naughty (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Michael W. McCarthy	12/1
5	5Oncoming (KY)	Hector Isaac Berrios	120	Reed Saldana	20/1
6	6Masteroffoxhounds (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	122	Philip D'Amato	5/2
7	7Gold Phoenix (IRE)	Kazushi Kimura	124	Philip D'Amato	2/1