Trainer Phil D'Amato has entered half of the eight-horse field in the Aug. 9 Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar. The trainer regularly dominates turf stakes in Southern California, often with Irish-breds. This time, he is bringing one Irish-bred, two Kentucky-breds, and an Ontario-bred to the 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for distaffers.
With that much firepower, D'Amato would seem to have a good shot at the race. However, Graham Motion is sending an intriguing runner from Saratoga Race Course. Wathnan Racing's Heredia has made only two starts in the United States, finishing third in the first division of the July 10 De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga and third in the May 4 Beaugay Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack. Prior to those two starts, Heredia hadn't competed since 2023, a year in which she won back-to-back stakes, including in the Atalanta Stakes (G3), and then finished third in the Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) in England. Heredia gets the services of Del Mar leading rider Juan Hernandez for the first time.
"We're just taking it race by race," Motion's assistant trainer Alice Clapham said. "We did think about entering her in a race at Saratoga, but they thought this track might suit her better. We were looking for a firmer track because we haven't had one for her yet."
Motion formerly trained Mission of Joy, the Ontario-bred of the D'Amato quartet. D'Amato has only recently taken over training of RyZan Sun Racing and Madaket Stables' 5-year-old daughter of Kitten's Joy. He has worked her twice at Del Mar. Under Motion's tutelage, Mission of Joy won the 2023 Regret Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs and the 2023 Florida Oaks (G3T) at Tampa Bay Downs. In addition to the new trainer, Mission of Joy gets a new rider in Armando Ayuso.
"(Mission of Joy) arrived less than a month ago," D'Amato said. "We got two breezes into her on the grass. She came in in good shape and has a lot of back class. Hopefully, she can regain some of that."
Three years ago, D'Amato won his first Yellow Ribbon with Irish-bred Going Global. This year, his Irish-bred Yellow Ribbon entrant, Michael House's Musical Rhapsody, is making her 2025 debut. She hasn't run since last year's Del Mar summer meeting, when she finished third in the CTT and TOC Stakes. Earlier that season, Musical Rhapsody captured the Santa Barbara Stakes and finished second in two other stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Hang the Moon, CJ Thoroughbreds' 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo, trained by D'Amato, was good enough to compete in the 2024 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mary Turf (G1T), though she finished 12th. Last year, she won the Oct. 5 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita and the Sept. 7 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar. Hang the Moon has not started since finishing sixth in the Dec. 27 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3T).
"The layoff was by design," D'Amato said. "(Hang the Moon) reached her limit of number of races last year. We tried to squeeze in one or two too many, and I think she needed a little 'R & R.' She's come back as good as ever."
Public Assembly, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of More Than Ready, rounds out the D'Amato contingent and is a relative newcomer to the stakes ranks. In four starts for trainer Chad Brown, she broke her maiden at Kentucky Downs last September and finished second in an allowance race at Keeneland in October. D'Amato has had her for 2025, and she is 2-for-3 for owners Abbondanza Racing, Medallion Racing, and Lissa Ann McNulty, tuning up with an allowance optional claiming win prior to a 1 3/4-length score in the April 26 Royal Heroine Stakes (G3T) at a mile in her stakes debut. Public Assembly subsequently ran fifth in the 1 1/8-mile Gamely Stakes (G1T).
"I think I rushed her back too quick off of her stakes win," D'Amato said. "She was a little bit over the top in that last race. Granted, it was a grade 1 against really nice horses. She's had some time to relax and strengthen up, and get ready for this race. I like her spacing a lot better going into Saturday."
Michael McCarthy trains Liguria, a 5-year-old daughter of War Front . Liguria is coming off a third in the Gamely and won the March 1 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T).
Rounding out the field are graded stakes winner Watchtower and multiple graded stakes-placed Mahina.
Del Mar, Saturday, August 9, 2025, Race 9Entries: Yellow Ribbon H. (G2T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Hang the Moon (KY) Kazushi Kimura 123 Philip D'Amato 3/1 2 2Heredia (GB) Juan J. Hernandez 120 H. Graham Motion 4/1 3 3Liguria (KY) Umberto Rispoli 123 Michael W. McCarthy 7/2 4 4Public Assembly (KY) Antonio Fresu 121 Philip D'Amato 5/1 5 5Watchtower (KY) Mirco Demuro 120 Richard Baltas 12/1 6 6Mission of Joy (ON) Armando Ayuso 119 Philip D'Amato 6/1 7 7Musical Rhapsody (IRE) Ricardo Gonzalez 119 Philip D'Amato 12/1 8 8Mahina (KY) Hector Isaac Berrios 118 Patrick Gallagher 8/1
