European exports Hong Kong Harry and Gold Phoenix shine at Del Mar

Graded winning pair were both trained by Phil D'Amato

Hong Kong Harry had a productive spell for Richard Fahey before heading to the United StatesCredit: Grossick Racing Photography

Phil D’Amato’s skills with European recruits paid off for two more horses on the glittering Pacific Classic card on Saturday with victories from Hong Kong Harry in the Del Mar Mile and Gold Phoenix in another Grade 2, the Del Mar Handicap.

The former has become the leading money-earner for Es Que Love, the hardy Lennox Stakes winner who stood at Rathaskar Stud before a brief stint in France.

A four-time winner for Richard Fahey including the trainer's 3000th British career winner, the chestnut Hong Kong Harry was bought by Boomer Bloodstock for 85,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Sale and skipped through allowance company before landing the Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita in June.

The five-year-old gelding settled the event very quickly under Flavien Prat and came two and a quarter lengths clear. The rider would later guide home not only Gold Phoenix but the imperious Flightline in the main event.

"Flavien was sitting in the right spot," D’Amato told BloodHorse. "Around the quarter pole my horse was picking up steam, angling out and ready to kick in. Once he did, I thought it was just a matter of time, and he did it stylishly."

Bred by Amarath Business Management, Hong Kong Harry is a half-brother to Listed-placed Body Sculpt and has a half-brother by Kodiac catalogued for the Goffs Orby Sale.

Gold Phoenix, meanwhile, landed his sole start for Kieran Cotter at Dundalk in February 2021 and has not been out of the frame in seven US starts this year. This was a first Graded win following a third in the Charles Whittingham Stakes for a member of the first crop from Kildangan Stud’s Belardo.

He is Belardo’s sixth individual Group or Graded winner and follows along from another in the same stable in the shape of the three-year-old Bellabel, successful in the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at Santa Anita this summer.

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Tom PeacockSpecialist writer of the year

Published on 4 September 2022inNews

Last updated 13:06, 4 September 2022

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