BY GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Finding the right races for an eight-time stakes winner of three graded events can be tricky, but Cliff and Michele Love’s 6-year-old millionaire homebred Damon’s Mound appears to have landed an ideal spot in Saturday’s $100,000 FHBPA Sprint at Gulfstream Park.
The six-and-a-half-furlong Sprint is among a half-dozen six-figure stakes restricted to Florida-breds on an 11-race program that begins at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Trained for the last season and a half by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Damon’s Mound will be facing state-breds for just the fourth time in his 21st start but third in the last four after winning Gulfstream’s $75,000 Sunshine Sprint at six furlongs on January 17 to kick off his season for a second straight year. Though he had already won a pair of graded stakes, his 2025 Sunshine Sprint win was particularly significant being his first race in 13 months.
Damon’s Mound broke a step slow and raced far back early before rallying to be second, beaten three lengths, in the $105,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint (Listed) on February 21, coming back a popular and determined winner of the $110,000 NYRA Bets Sprint March 29 at Tampa Bay Downs, both going six furlongs.
“He’s a nice horse. He’s very special, and we really like him,” Cliff Love said. “I’m amazed at the talent he’s got.”
The 71-year-old Love’s stable star, by Girvin, is named for the small town of Damon, Texas where Love’s grandparents lived, about an hour southwest of the owner-breeder’s Houston home. The town had a geological feature called a salt dome, which the locals dubbed ‘Damon’s Mound,’ and the name also fit in with the family’s love of baseball.
“We’re very proud of him. He’s a special kind of horse that doesn’t come around that often. We’re just enjoying the experience with him,” Love said. “For me, I’d rather brag about him after the race than before.”
The FHBPA Sprint will be the fourth time Damon’s Mound has tried six-and-a-half furlongs and first since finishing fourth in the 2025 Parx Sprint. He has one win at the distance, the 2022 Saratoga Special (G2) in just his second start, which followed a 12 ½-length debut romp six weeks earlier.
“Going back to his first race, he showed he was pretty special and everybody thought he was going to be good,” Love said. “We’re just excited about every race with him. No matter how big or how small, we just like to see him run.”
Regular rider Junior Alvarado returns to South Florida for the call on Damon’s Mound, favored on the morning line at 7-5 from outermost post eight.
Wathnan Racing’s Flood Zone will try to turn the tables on Damon’s Mound after finishing third by two lengths at Tampa last out. The 4-year-old Frosted colt graduated against state-breds second time out going six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream in January 2025 for previous trainer Victor Barboza Jr. The 2025 Gotham (G3) winner opened this year with a three-and-a-half-length win in a second level, $32,000 optional claiming on Feb. 28 at Tampa, his first try against elders.
Flood Zone has post six and is 5-2 on the morning line. Edgard Zayas will ride.
Also exiting the Tampa sprint is fourth-place finisher Classic of Course, who has run third or better in seven of nine career tries on Gulfstream’s main track. Two of them are wins including his most recent, the $70,000 Awesome Banner overnight handicap racing a mile on November 8. The versatile son of Awesome of Course trained by Patrick Biancone also won the $158,000 Cutler Bay going seven-and-a-half furlongs last winter over the Gulfstream turf.
Classic of Course will depart post one with Jonathan Ocasio in the saddle.
Completing the field are Carambaso and jockey Miguel Vasquez, Hurricane Nelson has Samy Camacho taking the call, Rajiv Maragh rides Nothingsubtle, Jose Morelos guides Joey Muscles and Neshume with Edwin Gonzalez in the irons.
Return to the April 24 issue of Wire to Wire
