Del Mar racing is heading towards an important fortnight, with leading trainer Philip D’Amato preparing several established runners for the upcoming stakes programme, while George Papaprodromou sets his sights on defending his fall meeting trainers’ title. The coming weeks will bring a mixture of high-profile turf contests and juvenile stakes action at the seaside racecourse.
D’Amato is particularly looking forward to the end-of-month programme, where several of his leading horses are expected to take their place in the major races.
Gold Phoenix Headlines D’Amato’s Del Mar Racing Plans
Four-time Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap winner Gold Phoenix is being prepared for the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup, scheduled for Friday, November 27. There had been speculation that the eight-year-old might travel to Hong Kong for a December engagement after being nominated for an international contest. However, D’Amato has confirmed that the gelding will remain in California.
Gold Phoenix will make his first appearance in the Hollywood Turf Cup. The Irish-bred runner had contested the Breeders’ Cup Turf in each of the previous four seasons, traditionally bringing his annual campaign to a close with that assignment. This year, however, connections opted to bypass the championship meeting following a fourth-place finish in the Del Mar Handicap.
D’Amato, a seven-time Del Mar trainers’ title winner, including three fall championships, also expects Motorious to participate in the Stormy Liberal Stakes. The three-time winner of the Grade 2 Green Flash Stakes is being aimed at the $100,000 turf sprint, which will be contested on closing day, Sunday, November 29.
Sorrento Sky, winner of this year’s Grade 2 Green Flash Stakes and the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita, is another possible contender. The runner subsequently finished seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland. D’Amato is still considering whether to bring Sorrento Sky back for the Stormy Liberal Stakes or reserve the runner for a later assignment at Santa Anita.
Meanwhile, King of Gosford is expected to return for the Seabiscuit Stakes on Saturday, November 28. The runner arrives following victories in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile and the $100,000 Wickerr Stakes during the summer meeting.
Juveniles Take Centre Stage in Del Mar Racing Programme
The two-year-olds will command attention during next weekend’s stakes programme, with the fillies scheduled to contest the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes on Saturday, November 14, followed by the Grade 3 $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes on Sunday, November 15.
Seven fillies have been nominated for the Desi Arnaz Stakes, including three from the Bob Baffert stable. Holmby is among the leading names, having won the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar during the summer before finishing second in the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita last month.
Peter Miller has nominated Palo Alto Baby, a California-bred daughter of Stanford. She made an impressive start to her career with a nine-length maiden victory at Del Mar before adding the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile Stakes at Santa Anita on Halloween.
Mo Chuisle, a daughter of Omaha Beach trained by Michael McCarthy, is another interesting entry after winning on debut.
The Desi Arnaz Stakes will be run for the 39th time. The race was originally known as the Moccasin Stakes and was contested at Hollywood Park during its first 27 editions. Previous winners include Justique, Nothing Like You and Dream Tree.
The attention will then turn to the Bob Hope Stakes, a seven-furlong contest on the main track that has attracted 11 nominations. Six of those entries come from the Doug O’Neill stable.
Phone Booth heads O’Neill’s nominations. The California-bred son of Pavel, trained for Reddam Racing, finished runner-up to Hughes in both the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes and Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity during the summer.
Baffert has nominated three runners, including Domus and Emancipate, both sons of Uncle Mo who broke their maidens at Del Mar during the summer meeting. Hughes, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has not been nominated.
Ala Sawab, trained by John Sadler, was also nominated but has instead been entered for Friday’s opening race. The son of Flightline stumbled and lost the rider at the start of his debut at Del Mar in August.
The Bob Hope Stakes will be run for the 45th time, having previously been known as the Hollywood Prevue Stakes. Notable past winners include Nysos, Mucho Gusto and Mastery.
Entries for the Desi Arnaz Stakes are scheduled to be drawn on Tuesday, while the Bob Hope Stakes entries will be finalised on Wednesday.
Papaprodromou Looks to Defend Del Mar Fall Trainers’ Title
While D’Amato prepares his established runners for the major autumn contests, George Papaprodromou has another important objective: retaining his position at the top of the Del Mar fall trainers’ standings.
The Cyprus-born trainer enjoyed a memorable campaign last year, recording 11 victories during the Bing Crosby Season to secure his first Southern California trainers’ title. The achievement came 22 years after taking over his father’s stable and establishing himself as an independent trainer.
For Papaprodromou, the championship represented more than another professional milestone. It was recognition of years of commitment and the collective effort of his stable staff.
He also reflected on the personal significance of the achievement, expressing his wish that his late father could have witnessed the success.
Papaprodromou’s operation has continued to produce consistent results, surpassing $2 million in earnings in each of the past five years. His stable has already accumulated more than $2.6 million this season.
He credits the progress to daily commitment and the contribution of his team. His hands-on approach remains evident around the Del Mar stable area, where he regularly checks his runners and assists with their recovery following morning exercise.
Although he acknowledges that larger stables have access to more high-profile horses, Papaprodromou believes teamwork and making the most of available opportunities have been central to his progress.
His record at the Breeders’ Cup also reflects the steady development of his stable. His first runner at the championships was Imperative in the 2014 Classic, where the horse finished ninth. After an eight-year absence, Papaprodromou returned with American Theorem in the 2022 Sprint.
He subsequently saddled Balladeer and Noble Reflection in 2023, followed by Cabo Spirit in the 2024 Turf at Del Mar.
Cabo Spirit returned to the championships this year for the Mile but finished near the back of the field after drifting badly along the backstretch. Papaprodromou reported that the seven-year-old had recovered well from the effort.
A possible return next season remains under consideration, although his immediate programme has yet to be decided. The trainer intends to assess the horse’s condition and remaining opportunities before making a final decision.
Papaprodromou has regularly finished among Del Mar’s leading trainers in recent meetings and finished runner-up to Doug O’Neill at the recently concluded Santa Anita Autumn Meet.
With another fall campaign underway, he will be aiming to reproduce last year’s success. His ambitions remain firmly focused on competing in the biggest races, including the sport’s most prestigious championships.
The combination of D’Amato’s established performers, an exciting juvenile programme and Papaprodromou’s pursuit of another trainers’ championship promises an important period of racing at Del Mar.
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