Cliff and Michele Love’s accomplished homebred Damon’s Mound reaffirmed his standing among Florida-breds with a commanding performance in Saturday’s $100,000 FHBPA Sprint at Gulfstream Park, drawing clear for a decisive 5½-length success.
Run over 6½ furlongs on the main track, the Sprint formed part of a six-race Florida-bred stakes programme worth $600,000 across an 11-race card, with the Filly & Mare Sprint providing a fitting companion feature.
Sent off a strong favourite, Damon’s Mound ($3.40) justified market confidence with a polished display under Junior Alvarado, handing the rider and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott a notable double in the afternoon’s sprint features.
Breaking sharply from the outside, Damon’s Mound was quickly into a prominent position but allowed Hurricane Nelson to dictate early fractions. Tracking comfortably through a brisk opening quarter in 22.49 seconds, Alvarado bided his time before asking his mount to improve leaving the backstretch. The response was immediate.
Sweeping to the front after a half-mile in 45.12, the six-year-old travelled powerfully into the stretch before extending his advantage with authority, stopping the clock in 1:15.32 on a fast surface. It marked his seventh career stakes victory and eighth overall.
“He was travelling very well the whole way,” Alvarado said. “I could feel plenty of horse underneath me. When I asked him to go, he really kicked on.”
Behind the winner, Classic of Course edged Hurricane Nelson for second, while Flood Zone, Nothingsubtle, Joey Muscles and Neshume completed the field.
Damon’s Mound’s latest success continues a rich vein of form, with four wins from his last five starts stretching back to the Bold Ruler Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct. His recent résumé includes victories in the Sunshine Sprint and the NYRA Bets Sprint, underlining his consistency against state-bred opposition.
Earlier on the card, Nic’s Style delivered an equally emphatic performance in the $100,000 FHBPA Filly & Mare Sprint, providing Alvarado and Mott with a clean sweep of the day’s headline sprint contests.
The six-year-old mare, owned by Rousseau Racing, entered the race off four consecutive runner-up finishes but left no doubt about her superiority this time. Breaking alertly, she settled just off the pace before taking control with ease turning for home and drawing clear to win by 5½ lengths in 1:17.13.
It was her eighth win from 14 starts and her first since capturing the Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) at the same venue last year, pushing her earnings beyond $600,000.
“You know how racing is,” owner Stephen Rousseau said. “It doesn’t always go your way, but today it did. After four seconds in a row, it’s a great feeling to see her win like that.”
Nic’s Style, a $25,000 purchase, has steadily developed into a high-class performer. Under Mott’s guidance, she showed her class once again, travelling strongly throughout and asserting her authority well before the finish.
“She was much the best today,” Alvarado added. “By the three-eighths pole, she was already pulling away.”
Just a Philly finished second after early trouble, followed by Girvin Star and Love Actually in a small but competitive field.
Together, the two sprint features highlighted the depth and quality within the Florida-bred ranks, with Damon’s Mound and Nic’s Style delivering performances of authority that underscored their class and current form.
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