Damon's Mound Looks to Rebound in Florida Cup's Sprint

Three-time graded stakes winner Damon's Mound looks to get back in the winner's circle on Florida Cup day, a card featuring six $110,000 stakes races for Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs, in the 6-furlong Sprint Stakes March 29. The 6-year-old son of Girvin began the year by winning the Sunshine Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park Jan. 17, scoring by 2 1/2 lengths. His most recent start came in the Feb. 21 Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes, where he broke slowly and rallied in the stretch to finish second to Jack's Promise. Those races also came at 6 furlongs. A homebred for Michele and Cliff Love trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Damon's Mound has raced 19 times, winning seven races, including the 2022 Saratoga Special Stakes (G2), 2023 Gallant Bob Stakes (G2), and 2025 Bold Ruler Stakes (G3). Trainer Michelle Lovell raced him through his 3-year-old season before Mott began training him in 2025 after a year-long layoff. Junior Alvarado will once again climb aboard, having ridden him to all his wins since Mott became his trainer. He will face five others, including the Brad Cox-trained Flood Zone. The son of Frosted won last year's Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. Owned by Wathnan Racing, he then raced in the UAE Derby (G2) at Meydan Racecourse, where he had an off-the-board finish. Two other losses wrapped up his 3-year-old year, but he started this year with a win in an allowance optional claiming race Feb. 28 at Tampa Bay Downs. Trainer Gerald Bennett, a finalist this year for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, enters the race with the 6-year-old Shaman Ghost gelding, Chrome Ghost. He has raced at Tampa nine times and has four local wins, most recently in an allowance optional claiming race Dec. 26. "I hope that home-field advantage will be a help," Bennett said. "Chrome Ghost is pretty consistent. He likes this track, and he's training well. You've probably got to beat Bill Mott's horse and Brad Cox's horse." A race after the Sprint, which goes as the eighth race on the card, is the Distaff Turf Stakes, where two 4-year-old fillies owned and bred by Live Oak Plantation headline the 1 1/16-mile grass affair. Souper Zonda, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, won the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Stakes Jan. 10 at Gulfstream Park, and Souper Williwaw, conditioned by Mike Trombetta, looks for her first win of 2026, having finished fourth in her first two starts. Besides Junior Alvarado, other high-profile jockeys in town to ride at Tampa Sunday include five-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. and Hall of Famer John Velazquez. The 23rd edition of the Florida Cup at Tampa Bay Downs presents opportunities for horses in six different divisions. Three of the stakes will compete on the main track and three on turf. Forty-five Florida-bred horses were entered in the six stakes.