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    Gold Phoenix, Hector Berrios go the distance at Santa Anita
    • March 22, 2026

    Gold Phoenix and jockey Hector Berrios swept into contention on the turn for home and passed front-running Flashiest and Armando Ayuso to score the 8-year-old gelding’s first victory of 2026 in the Grade III San Luis Rey Stakes on the Santa Anita turf Saturday.

    It was the ninth graded stakes win but first in a race as long as 1-1/2 miles for Phil D’Amato-trained Gold Phoenix, who paid $8.40 as 8-5 favorite. Truly Quality and Antonio Fresu finished fourth behind third-place Mondego.

    Berrios rode Gold Phoenix for the first time while Kazushi Kimura was out of town.

    Earlier at Santa Anita, the consistent 5-year-old mare Grand Slam Smile ($2.20) scored a front-running win with jockey William Antongeorgi in the Irish O’Brien Stakes hillside sprint for California-breds. Prancingthruparis and Miss Practical were declared non-starters after an unusual incident in which the former broke through the gate just before the start and the latter was ruled to have been denied a clean break.

    At the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, inexperienced Emerging Market ($6) and Flavien Prat outfought trainer Doug O’Neill’s seasoned Cal-bred Pavlovian and Edwin Maldonado in the 1-3/16-mile Louisiana Derby, both earning enough points to qualify for the May 2 Kentucky Derby.

    At Turfway Park in Kentucky, Fulleffort ($5.82) and Irad Ortiz Jr. ran away with the 1-1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks, while Michael McCarthy’s Stark Contrast earned Derby consideration by finishing second with Kimura, and Richard Mandella’s Medici was third with Mirco Demuro.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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