Romping winners Gulfport, Damon's Mound face off in Saratoga Special

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It was just two years ago when a flashy maiden winner at Churchill Downs named Jackie’s Warrior had his coming-out party winning the Grade 2 Saratoga Special, the first of what would become five graded stakes victories for that colt at Saratoga.

That gave trainer Steve Asmussen his fifth victory in the Saratoga Special. Saturday, Asmussen will go for his record-tying sixth Saratoga Special trophy – James Rowe won it six times from 1904 through 1929 – when his speedy two-time winning juvenile colt Gulfport takes on the flashy Churchill maiden winner Damon’s Mound and three others in the $200,000 Saratoga Special at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Gulfport, a son of Uncle Mo, used his speed to win a five-furlong maiden race by seven lengths on June 10 and then came back to win the $173,000 Bashford Manor by 12 1/4 lengths on July 4. For Asmussen, Gulfport has elicited memories of Jackie’s Warrior, the 2021 sprint champion who is the first horse to win Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga in three successive years.

“We hope he’s Jackie,” Asmussen said. “A hundred percent we hope he’s Jackie. He’s an extremely mature, classy 2-year-old. Both of his races, what else would you possibly have wanted to see? And then he’s come up here and done so well.”

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Gulfport’s speed and skill caught the attention of Coolmore, the global racing and breeding operation which bought into the colt from owners William and Corrine Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, and Whispering Oaks Farm.

“His performance in the Bashford Manor was very special, and we think there’s a lot more to come,” said M.V. Magnier of Coolmore.

Offers were flying in to owner Cliff Love and trainer Michelle Lovell after Damon’s Mound, a son of Girvin, won his debut at Churchill Downs by 12 1/2 lengths on July 2. Despite a slow break and a wide trip, Damon’s Mound cruised to the decisive victory without being hard used by jockey Gabriel Saez.

“Only the margin surprised me,” Lovell said. “Him winning and doing it comfortably didn’t surprise me because I knew he was talented. They have to run the race, right?”

Lovell takes that same approach to the Saratoga Special, where her horse is giving up one race in experience to Gulfport.

“Steve’s record and horsemanship speaks for itself, and Gulfport is a beautiful racehorse. He’s very athletic and talented,” said Lovell, who will be starting her first horse here as a trainer. “I think my horse will be okay, that’s why we run races. We’ll see on Saturday. [Gulfport’s] a really nice horse, but I wouldn’t trade.”

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Gulfport breaks from post 4 under Joel Rosario, who replaces Brian Hernandez Jr. Damon’s Mound break from post 2 under Gabe Saez.

Owen’s Leap, a debut winner at Churchill and runner-up to Gulfport in the Bashford Manor, gets blinkers and Irad Ortiz Jr. for this spot. He breaks from the outside post for trainer Tom Amoss, who on Wednesday won his 4,000th career race when Isolate won the Tale of the Cat Stakes.

Super Chow, a debut winner for Jorge Delgado at Gulfstream Park, and Valenzan Day, third in the Tremont and ninth in the Sanford, round out the field.

The Saratoga Special goes as race 4 on an 11-race card that begins at 1:05 p.m. and includes the Grade 1 Fourstardave.