Gold Phoenix wins consecutive Del Mar Handicaps (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables and Marsha Naify’s Gold Phoenix (IRE) ships in from Santa Anita to headline a field of 12 entered for the 39th running of the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (GI) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.
The Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic is one of four $1 million Grade I races on next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby program that features 14 races beginning at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern). The Turf Classic will immediately precede the 151st running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (GI) Presented by Woodford Reserve.
Trained by Phil D’Amato, Gold Phoenix has earned nearly $1.8 million and is a three-time winner of the Del Mar Handicap (GII). He has finished fourth the past two years in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (GI). Umberto Rispoli has the mount from post 2.
The field for the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic: (Race 11, 5:39 p.m. post):
- Integration (Frankie Dettori, Shug McGaughey)
- Gold Phoenix (IRE) (Umberto Rispoli, Phil D’Amato)
- Highway Robber (Declan Cannon, Brian Lynch)
- Redistricting (GB) (Irad Ortiz Jr., Chad Brown)
- Idratherbeblessed (Ben Curtis, Chris Hartman)
- Taking Candy (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux)
- Running Bee (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
- Cameo Performance (Luis Saez, Brendan Walsh)
- Mercante (Joe Ramos, Brian Knippenberg)
- Spirit of St Louis (Manny Franco, Chad Brown)
- Brilliant Berti (Brian Hernandez Jr., Cherie DeVaux)
- Gigante (Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen)
