ARCADIA, Calif. – With his first win as a 4-year-old in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes on Saturday, Atitlan confirmed his affection for Santa Anita’s turf course and showed he can run an extended distance of 1 1/2 miles. Atitlan won the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita last October for his first stakes win. His next assignment is likely to be at 1 1/4 miles in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes on May 3. “That seems like good timing,” trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday morning. “I don’t think he has distance limitations.” :: Playing Santa Anita? Get the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports available now. Atitlan, who races for John O’Connor, chief executive of a New York-based investment firm, has won 3 of 9 starts and earned $300,000. The colt, by The Factor, also is effective at a mile, having won a maiden race on turf at the distance at Del Mar last July. In December, Atitlan was a good third in the Grade 2 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on turf. Shirreffs envisions longer races for Atitlan through the spring and summer. The key is getting the colt to be comfortable within the running of a race. Atitlan finished a disappointing fifth in his first start of the year in the Grade 3 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf Feb. 8 while racing on the outside and in the clear. In the San Luis Rey Stakes, jockey Hector Berrios kept Atitlan behind runners for the first mile. While that tactic led to a few anxious moments on the backstretch, when Atitlan pulled and had to be steadied, the colt recovered while racing off the pace. With a three-wide move on the turn, Atitlan swept to the front in the stretch. “I saw he had to stand up and check him really hard,” Shirreffs said. “Hector has ridden him a lot and he has good hands.” Atitlan was fortunate to win the San Luis Rey. Gold Phoenix, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar last November, finished a fast-closing third after a dreadful trip in which he lost significant momentum on the turn while racing in traffic. Ridden by Kyle Frey, Gold Phoenix recovered to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind Atitlan. From trainer Phil D’Amato’s perspective, the trouble cost Gold Phoenix a win. “I think he might have been right with the winner, if not the winner,” D’Amato said. “Kyle got bounced out of the saddle. He stopped cold and had to regroup.” D’Amato-trained runners finished second through fourth. Divin Propos led in the stretch before finishing second. Easter closed from seventh to be as close as third before fading to finish fourth by four lengths in his first start at 1 1/2 miles. Gold Phoenix is a candidate for the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic, a $1 million race at 1 1/8 miles on turf May 3 at Churchill Downs. D’Amato said the cutback in distance is not a concern. “He’s pretty sharp at a mile and an eighth,” he said. “This was the only race I could get him in timing-wise.” Divin Propos and Easter may run in the $200,000 Whittingham. “I think the distance works for them at a mile and a quarter,” D’Amato said. “I thought Divin Propos was a winner at the top of the stretch.” Easter, a three-time stakes winner in the last two years, will not start at 1 1/2 miles on turf again anytime soon. “I think we found his distance limitation,” D’Amato said. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.