(Rhea Moon / Benoit Photo & Courtesy of Santa Anita)

From the Santa Anita Media Team:

Well positioned for a third consecutive Classic Meet training title but quiet through the first 10 races on opening day, Phil D’Amato made plenty of noise in the 11th and final event, the G1, $300,000 American Oaks, as his Irish-bred Rhea Moon rallied from off the pace to score by a head under Juan Hernandez, who not only registered his second Grade I victory of the day, but his third stakes win and fourth overall as he seeks to defend his leading rider title from 2021-22.

Idle since taking the Grade III Autumn Miss Stakes at one mile on turf Oct. 29, Rhea Moon, who had broken her maiden going a mile and one eighth on grass four starts back, got the mile and one quarter Oaks in 2:00.75.

Unhurried while a joint eighth, about five lengths off the lead turning up the backside, Rhea Moon saved ground at the rail under a snug hold to the top of the land, split horses three deep and gradually overhauled stablemate School Dance to annex her first Grade I win.

A first condition allowance winner at one mile on turf two starts back at Del Mar Aug. 21, Rhea Moon was off at 6-1 in a field of 11 sophomore fillies and paid $15.60, $7.60 and $5.20.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch and Talla Racing, LLC, Rhea Moon, who was winless in a pair of Irish starts at age two, is now 9-4-3-2 overall. With today’s winnings of $180,000, she increased her earnings to $371,831.

The D’Amato exacta completed by School Dance, who was making her stakes debut with Ramon Vazquez up. Off at 11-1, School Dance paid $10.80 and $7.60 while finishing three quarters of a length in front of Sparkle Blue.

Ridden by Joe Bravo for Graham Motion, Sparkle Blue was off at 8-1 and paid $6.80 to show.

Irish-bred Salimah, who shipped in from New York for Chad Brown and was the 5-2 favorite, showed the way to the quarter pole but tired to finish seventh under Flavien Prat.

Fractions on the race were 23.88, 48.31, 1:12.45 and 1:36.97.

An on-track crowd of 41,446 contributed to an all-time Santa Anita opening day record all-sources handle of $26,315,016. Racing will resume on Friday, with first post time through Monday, Jan. 2 at 12 noon.