Home

Olympics

Horse Racing Marvel Shines in $400,000 Grade 2 Stakes, Proving Dirt Sprint Dominance

Published 09/24/2023, 2:46 PM EDT

Follow Us

With his incredible prowess, the equine partner, Damon’s Mound, is fast becoming a star. Interestingly, he looks set to take horse racing by storm. After a stuttering start, he raced ahead to win the Gallant Bob Stakes on Saturday. With this, he now appears to be a specimen tailor-made for dirt tracks. That is the impression conveyed to the world of equestrian sports by another facile win.

Damon’s Mound is owned and bred by Michelle and Cliff Love. Trained by Michelle Lovell, he secured $400,000 in prize money following the win. That took his total earnings past the $600,000 mark. He is the three-year-old son of Girvin and San Antonio Stroll. Girvin is a former Grade 1 winner and sire of three Graded Stakes winners overall. That list includes Damon’s Mound.

Damon’s Mound – a dirt track specialist?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As per the Paulick report, Damon’s Mound was a little slow out of the gate, initially falling behind Ryvit and Sir Lancelot up front. Nautical Star was hot on his heels. He took the lead shortly after and held off his nearest challenger in Nautical Star to secure the win. The racehorse is steadily building up a reputation as a dirt track specialist. Damon’s Mound added another victory to make it four wins from nine starts spanning a little over a year.

via Imago

Ridden by Junior Alvarado, Damon’s Mound finished ahead of Nautical Star in second by 1 ¼ lengths. He finished with a time of 1:10.24 for six furlongs over the track. The win at Parx Racing was just his second Graded Stakes win. The first was the Saratoga Special Stakes in August of the previous year. In just the second start of his career, he registered a dominant win while ridden by Gabriel Saez.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The thoroughbred’s record in horse racing

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Damon’s Mound has a record of four firsts and one second in eight starts on dirt tracks. Apart from the Graded Stakes, he also won the Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes and the Maiden Special Weight. The race in which he placed second was the Allowance Optional Claiming at Churchill Downs in June.

Across his career, Damon’s Mound has raced at six tracks over six distances and two surfaces. On turf, his record stands at an eleventh-placed finish in the Palisades Stakes at Keeneland. That was his first race of the year. It was also his only start on a different surface.

Vintage Horse Racing Event, With Centuries of Royal Tradition, Achieves a Never-Heard-Before Feat

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Another dominant performance on a dirt track saw Damon’s Mound victorious on Saturday. He claimed his fourth win on dirt tracks along the way. He is well on the way to becoming a maestro on that surface if his recent results are anything to go by. It remains to be seen if Damon’s Mound can establish himself as the most famous of Girvin’s sons.

Watch This Story – Equestrian Community Rallies to Improve Social License in Horse Racing

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Anirudh Haridas

236Articles

One take at a time

Edited by:

Purva Jain