Philip D’Amato sweeps Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar
Trainer Philip D’Amato had every right to say “Been there, done better” in the aftermath of Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar.
The Seabiscuit was part of the third day of the track’s Turf Festival, which was highlighted by an oddity that could be a racing first. Four trainers — Brian Koriner, Peter Miller, Jorge Periban and Tim Yakteen — sent out horses that finished 1-2 in their respective races on the nine-race card.
But D’Amato did them one better. He finished first, second and third in the Seabiscuit, a mile and one-sixteenth turf race for 3-year-olds and older. Sounds incredible, right? Well, D’Amato, a master of the turf, sent out the top four finishers in the $250,000 Grade II Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar this past summer.
On Saturday, it was the 5-year-old gelding Easter with Antonio Fresu aboard who took home top prize of $120,000 when Fresu found room in the stretch and let the winner roll. It was Easter’s first graded-stakes victory and sixth overall in 18 starts. The victory improved his earnings to $447,910 in his debut over Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
It was Easter’s first start under the guidance of D’Amato, who took over training chores from Graham Motion. He won the ungraded Lure Stakes at Santa Anita by a half length on Oct. 28 in his final start for the Motion barn.
“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.”
Asked about running 1-2-3, D’Amato said, “It’s nice to see all three of my horses run well and the best horse won today.”
Hong Kong Harry, the even-money favorite, finished a half length behind Easter, who closed as the 8-5 second choice in the betting.
Balnikhov, a 10-1 longshot who won the opening-day Oceanside Stakes in 2022, finished third, a half length behind the runner-up.
“Obviously, I got Hong Kong Harry in the race right next to me and so I sat behind him,” Fresu said. “It wasn’t easy in there, the first part. 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 so I followed 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. Phil … did a good job and kept him in very good shape. The race showed he was class.”
It was Easter’s day, but D’Amato is hoping for good things down the road from the second- and third-place finishers.
“Maybe it’s Harry next time and maybe it’s Balnikhov after that,” he said.
Final time of the race over a firm turf course was 1:39.96 — 46 hundreds of a second off the track record.
