D'Amato Looks for Third San Clemente in Four Years

Trainer Phil D'Amato will try to win his third San Clemente Handicap (G2T) in four years and has two shots at it. Thought Process, the 8-5 morning line favorite, is likely his best chance, but D'Amato has also entered Jungle Peace (Ire). This year's San Clemente, scheduled for July 19, the first Saturday of the Del Mar summer meeting, pits nine 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf. D'Amato took the race last year with Iscreamuscream, voted 2024 Del Mar horse of the summer meeting, and previously won it with Bellabel (Ire) in 2022. Thought Process and Iscreamuscream have more in common than D'Amato. Little Red Feather Racing is a partner in both. Little Red Feather owns Thought Process with the estate of Brereton C. Jones and Madaket Stables. Jones bred the daughter of Airdrie Stud stallion Collected. "We've had great success in this partnership with horses by Collected, like Conclude and Iron Man Cal," said Billy Koch, Little Red Feather's founder and a managing partner. Thought Process broke her maiden at Del Mar last summer in her second outing. She added the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf before the end of the meet and then won the Surfer Girl Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park. After Thought Process finished ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), D'Amato gave her a rest. "It was a tough campaign for a 2-year-old," Koch said. "We wanted her to grow up and mature, and we think she has." D'Amato returned Thought Process in a June 14 allowance race at Santa Anita. She scored by 5 3/4 lengths when covering the same distance as the San Clemente in an excellent 1:33.35. "She came out of her (3-year-old) debut—which was awesome—in great shape, and we've been pointing to the San Clemente ever since," Koch said. "She's an uber-talented filly." Hector Berrios has been aboard Thought Process in most of her races and will ride again from post 5. Antonio Fresu is set to pilot Jungle Peace for D'Amato from post 7. Jungle Peace won three consecutive races at the Santa Anita meeting, including the Senorita Stakes (G3T), and then finished third by two noses in the May 18 Honeymoon Stakes (G3T), also at Santa Anita. Firenze Flavor and Miso Phansy finished one-two in the Honeymoon. Drayden Van Dyke will ride Firenze Flavor for trainer Patrick Gallagher from post 8, while Armando Ayuso will be on Miso Phansy for trainer Leonard Powell from post 3. Trainer Jonathan Thomas brings Will Then to Del Mar for the San Clemente and has named Mike Smith to ride from the rail. Will Then broke her maiden at Woodbine and most recently finished fifth in the May 2 Edgewood Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs. In between, she won two stakes in California—the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar and the China Doll Stakes at Santa Anita. Thomas also trains multiple stakes-placed As Catch Can (jockey Vincent Cheminaud, post 4). In three starts this year, As Catch Can finished second in the Sweet Life Stakes at Santa Anita, second in the Bourbonette Oaks on synthetic at Turfway Park, and fourth in the Honeymoon. Bob Baffert trains two San Clemente entrants: Casalu (Kazushi Kimura, post 2) and Silent Law (Mirco Demuro, post 9). Casalu is coming off back-to-back Santa Anita stakes victories in the Blue Norther Stakes and Sweet Life. Silent Law won last year's Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita and has three subsequent stakes placings, including a second to Tenma in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). This will be Silent Law's turf debut. Amorita finished second to Will Then in the China Doll and second to Jungle Peace in the Senorita. Trainer Richard Mandella has named Juan Hernandez to ride from post 6.