Phil D'Amato | Horse Racing Free Tips

Red King Gives Red-Hot D’Amato Sixth Del Mar Handicap Victory In Seven Years

The victory by Red King in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar Handicap brought attention to the rise of Phil D'Amato in the Del Mar trainer standings and the increased success of his stable after a chilly start.

At the delayed start of the second week of the meeting, Friday, July 31, D'Amato runners had two wins in 23 starts. Subsequent start-the-weekend numbers were: 3-for-29 on August 7, 7-for-43 on August 14 and 11 for 51 last Friday.

With one win Friday and two Saturday – the D'Amato/Umberto Rispoli combination followed up the Handicap victory with Salvator Mundi ($11.20) in the 11th race nightcap – D'Amato now has 14 wins from 60 starters and only trails Peter Miller by one on the leaderboard.

“Things have been clicking well the second half of the meet,” D'Amato said via text. “All those horses that finished second and third at the beginning of the meet have been able to come back and win. That really helps.

“Also, the ability to breeze turf horses on the turf here at Del Mar has really helped. I think it keeps the grass horses happier and they perform better in their races.”

Red King, a 6-year-old son of English Channel bred by Calumet Farm and owned by Little Red Feather Racing, had five works on the Del Mar turf leading up to his first start since a June 21 victory in the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita.

Given a masterful ride by Rispoli, Red King was able to pull off a $10.60 upset of heavy favorite United. The Handicap, sponsored by the Japan Racing Association, is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Keeneland.

D'Amato has now won the last four editions of the Del Mar Handicap and six of the last seven. After back-to-back victories in 2014-'15 with Big John B, D'Amato won with Hunt in 2017, Fashion Business in 2018 and Acclimate in 2019.

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Red King Holds Off United With Rispoli’s Perfectly Timed Ride In Del Mar Handicap

Jockey Umberto Rispoli rolled the dice, making a six-wide move toward the lead aboard Red King with a half-mile to go in Saturday's Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, then had just enough left to hold off the late charge of odds-on favorite United and Flavien Prat in the 1 3/8-mile turf fixture at the seaside track north of San Diego.

The victory in the $200,000 race gave Red King – owned by Little Red Feather, Gordon Jacobsen and Philip Belmonte – an automatic, fees-paid berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7 as part of the “Win and You're In” Challenge Race Series that also provides a travel allowance to winning horses traveling to Kentucky.

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Red King covered 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:15.75, winning for the seventh time in 28 lifetime starts. This was his second stakes win since D'Amato claimed him for $25,000 in February 2019. Earlier this year the English Channel 6-year-old horse won the 1 3/4-mile, G3 San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita.

United finished second, with Originaire closing for third and Proud Pedro fourth in the field of 11 older runners.

Red King paid $10.60.

Longshots Big Buzz and Ward 'n Jerry carved out the slow early fractions, going :25.07, :49.94 and 1:15.09 for the first six furlongs. Rispoli swung Red King to the outside in the run down the backstretch, moving toward the leaders after a mile in 1:40.07. He took command from North County Guy at the top of the stretch, opened up a lead and just lasted over United for the win.

“I didn't like how slow they were going, so I decided to move earlier today,” said Rispoli. “It takes a really good horse to do that, but I knew he had the stamina. I did this when I was riding in Europe. It was close at the finish because he was trying to pull h imself up. I am very happy. This horse gave me a Grade 3 win in his last start, and today he gave me a Grade 2. I want to keep it going with him.”

The stakes win was the seventh of the meet for Rispoli, riding his first seaon at Del Mar. It was the first of the meet for D'Amato but his fourth straight (and sixth of the last seven) in the Del Mar Handicap. He now has 27 stakes wins at Del Mar.

“I could see going along the backstretch Flavien (on United) was on the inside and Umberto was about to make that move on the outside. (Rispoli) timed in perfectly. I give all the credit to him. After the last race he was so high on this horse. He chose Red King over Originaire and that gave me a lot of confidence that he felt the horse was climbing up the ladder and to win this race is really special.”

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Red King Records First Stakes Victory In San Juan Capistrano

Third in the race a year ago, Red King took center stage in the 81st renewal of the Grade III, $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he forged by odds-on favorite Ward 'n Jerry at the top of the stretch en route to an impressive 4 ¼ length win under Umberto Rispoli. Trained by Phil D'Amato, Red King, a 6-year-old horse by English Channel, navigated the marathon mile and three quarters on turf in 2:46.67.

Breaking from the top of Santa Anita's legendary Camino Real Turf Course, Red King was unhurried early and was fifth, about nine lengths off of dueling leaders Kershaw and Ward 'n Jerry. Fifth, but only five lengths back as the field angled up the backside, Red King moved into third, about 2 ½ lengths off the leaders midway around the far turn and wheeled three-deep turning for home, from where he inhaled Ward 'n Jerry approaching the furlong pole.

“Growing up here in LA, this was always one of my favorite races as a kid,” said D'Amato. “I remember I used to stand on the apron way past the wire and watch them come home in this race, just so I could take it all in. It's an amazing race and it's really cool to win it.

“My horse won his last race and that picked his confidence up. It looked like maybe the favorite moved a little soon and Umberto was in the right spot.”

A first condition allowance winner going a flat mile on turf May 24, Red King was off at 7-2 and paid $9.80, $4.80 and $2.60.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing Gordon Jacobsen and Philip Belmonte, Red King, who is out of the A.P. Indy mare Youre Speeding, picked up his first ever stakes win and his sixth win from 27 career starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, he now has earnings of $278,115.

“It was my first time going from the top of the downhill and … it is beautiful,” said Italian native Rispoli, who was also riding Red King for the first time. “The grass is amazing, it's a really good track. It's been a long time since I've gone so far in a race because in Europe, we used to go quite enough every day. But it was a good feeling, obviously you need a horse like that.”

Siberian Iris, the lone female in the lineup, rallied from far back for the place, finishing three quarters of a length in front of Ward 'n Jerry. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke Siberian Iris was off at 7-1 and paid $6.20 and $3.20.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Ward 'n Jerry tired badly late and at 3-5, paid $2.10 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.21, 46.66, 1:10.66, 1:37.53, 2:04.62 and 2:30.47.

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Marathon San Juan Capistrano Closes Curtain On Santa Anita Meet On Sunday

A pair of long fused veterans, California-bred Ward 'n Jerry and Kentucky-bred Red King, third in last year's running, head a field of eight 3-year-olds and up going a marathon mile and three quarters on turf in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

The 81st renewal of the San Juan, Santa Anita's traditional closing day feature, will again include a hillside start at the top the Camino Real Turf Course, which first opened for business in December, 1953.

The main contenders:

WARD 'N JERRY
Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams
Trainer: Mike Puype
A homebred 7-year-old gelding by the late Lucky Pulpit, Ward 'n Jerry rates top billing in a wide open affair in which just one of the runners have ever run this far. Although he was most recently a non threatening fifth in the statebred Crystal Water Stakes at one mile on turf June 6, he took the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at a mile and one half on grass by an impressive 1 ¼ lengths two starts back on March 21 in a manner that would suggest the added quarter mile should be within his reach as he retains the services of leading man Flavien Prat.

RED KING
Owner: Little Red Feather Racing, Gordon Jacobsen & Phillip Belmonte
Trainer: Phil D'Amato
A gutty nose winner of a one mile allowance here on May 24, this 6-year-old Kentucky-bred horse by English Channel has four wins and as many thirds from 11 races over the Santa Anita turf. Third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in last year's San Juan Capistrano, Red King checks every handicapping box in terms of good recent form, ability to get the trip and solid connections as he'll be ridden for the first time by turf specialist Umberto Rispoli for D'Amato on Sunday.

G3 SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER
Race 6 of 12 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Soberano—Brice Blanc—122
Red King—Umberto Rispoli—122
Tintoretto—Ruben Fuentes—122
Siberian Iris—Drayden Van Dyke—119
Kershaw—Abel Cedillo—122
Swamp Souffle—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—122
Avalanche—Geovanni Franco—122
Ward 'n Jerry—Flavien Prat—126

First post time for a 12-race card on closing day, Sunday, is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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