Trainer Phil D'Amato hit the trifecta at Del Mar Saturday in the $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2). His runners finished first, second, and third in the 1 1/6-mile grass headliner, with Madaket Stable's Easter leading the parade and proving best by a half-length.
The 5-year-old French-bred by the Australian stallion Exosphere had to wait and wait in the lane for room to run, but once he got clear and jockey Antonio Fresu hit the gas, Easter surged to the front in the last 100 yards and earned the first-place prize of $120,000.
Finishing second was the 11-10 favorite and last year's Seabiscuit winner, Hong Kong Harry, who had a half length on Balnikhov.
“Obviously, I got Hong Kong Harry in the race right next to me and so I sat behind him,” Fresu said. “…My horse was pretty keen in the first part of the race, and so I was trying to relax him as much as I could along the way. I just tried to get him in a nice rhythm. When we came for home, I could see Hong Kong Harry was loaded in front of me…and the last 200 yards there was an opening and I took it. My horse just exploded. He seems like a very nice horse, and hopefully he has a very bright future.”
Easter was winning his first graded stakes and increased his bankroll to $447,910 for registering his sixth score in his 18th start. He finished the distance in a rapid 1:39.96, just :46 hundredths off the track record of 1:39.50 set by Fly to Mars in the 2018 California Dream' Stakes.
“I saw Easter was kind of stuck behind there and thought maybe he was going to get second,” D'Amato said. “Antonio said he was able to find daylight and then he exploded. He said within a couple of strides he made up all the ground like nothing. It's nice to see all three of my horses run well and the best horse won today. Maybe it's 'Harry' next time and maybe it's Balnikhov after that.”
As the second choice in the field of eight, Easter returned $5.40 to his backers. He had come into the D'Amato barn less than a month ago after running a series of races mostly in the East out of the barn of conditioner Graham Motion.
Easter was bred by Aleyrion Bloodstock and is out of the Exceed And Excel mare Excellent Girl.
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