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00:00In this week's edition of First Things First, I caught up with a very special guy, Phil
00:05D'Amato, who finally hit his mark.
00:08Win number 1,000.
00:09Phil, how does it feel to be here with your whole family and get this 1,000 win under
00:22your belt with a home run?
00:23No, it's unbelievable.
00:24You know, to, again, share it with my family, who all helped this great team we have win
00:31these races.
00:32So, to celebrate it with a home bred that I bred by a really great stallion in Grayson
00:38that's done wonders for my barn.
00:42It's just really cool.
00:43Talk about the beginning, because you and Sherry come via Mike Mitchell, and what did
00:49he mean to you as a trainer, and a friend, and a confidant, and a mentor, and to be
00:56here in the winner's circle right now?
00:58Yeah, no, it's kind of really touching, because Mike treated me like a son.
01:03And he never got, I mean, everybody knows him in California as being one of the top
01:08trainers for decades, but he really never got the recognition due to him, because he
01:13was an amazing trainer, could train any kind of racehorse, and, you know, was one of the
01:18best teachers there was.
01:20And also, I started with the late, great Chuck Simon, who passed away this year, so, Chuck,
01:25you know, I'm sure you're up there looking down on me as well, so.
01:29I had two great mentors, and I got my thousandth this year, so just very special.
01:36Sherry, you've been with him every step of the way, what does it mean for you?
01:40Because you've been through the ups, the downs, the sideways, and everything from Mike to
01:44now.
01:45Yeah, from Mike to now.
01:46Yeah, Mike was amazing.
01:47It was emotional for all of us, because Mike was definitely, like, he still is my heart,
01:51his family still is our family.
01:54So we're just very thankful, very blessed, honestly, just very blessed, and to have my
01:57daughter come along later on in the year to start riding, it's really fun to be out there
02:02with her, riding with her, and this one, I don't think he cares about riding, but he
02:06cares.
02:07He's going to hit some golf balls later, right, Ryan?
02:09I'm there for support.
02:10How are we celebrating tonight, guys?
02:11Going home.
02:12Going home on the couch.
02:13Family barbecue.
02:14We've got to watch the Dodgers tonight.
02:15Come on.
02:16All right.
02:17Good luck, guys.
02:18Thanks so much for your time.
02:20Many thanks to trainer Phil D'Amato, and yes, that was nice to hear an ode to not only Mike
02:31Mitchell, but also to the late Chuck Simon as well.
02:35So congratulations on Phil D'Amato with his 1,000th win, many, many more to come.
02:41All right, Santa Anita does continue this weekend with a three-day racing weekend, starting
02:47on Friday, 1 o'clock post times.
02:49Stakes races on Saturday will have the Anokia Stakes, along with the fall of Funfest and
02:55a Birriano.
02:56Lucha Libre, I know you'll like to be there for that, Randy.
03:00Lots of micheladas and mariachis, all things going on at Santa Anita this coming weekend.
03:06You like micheladas, right, Randy?
03:08I do.
03:09Yes, I do.
03:10I love a michelada, and they make really good ones there.