Damon’s Mound Lifts Crop of Freshman Sire Girvin

One of the most impressive first-time underage winners of 2022 is Damon’s Mound who grew 12 1/2 lengths in a six-feathered maiden in Churchill Downs July 2. Damon’s Mound made his eagerly awaited comeback on August 13 and won Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) with impressive style vs. favorites Gulfport who had a troubled trip.

Damon’s Mound belongs to Girvin who became one of the surprise packs of current freshmen, and who also had Astoria Stakes provided Devious Dame out of seven winners from just 17 starters.

This level of proficiency could not have been predicted from Girvin’s race record. Coached throughout his career by Joe Sharp, he won his only start in 2nd place in December at the Fair basis. After spending a moment there at the Keith Gee Stakes Memorial Day night on the pitch in his first start at age 3, Girvin earned his way into the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (G1) with wins in Risen Star Stakes (G2) and Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) in their third and fourth starts. As the 13th to have never entered at Churchill Downs, Girvin recovered to miss just the tip of the nose against the talented but starless Irap in the Ohio Derby (G3). Just over a month later, Girvin dominated by a similar margin in betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), only to be better than McCraken, with Reality Jokes, Irish War Cries, Lines time and the Battle of Midway in the middle of the field was defeated. That effort is the pinnacle of Girvin. He couldn’t have done better than 11th place in the Deal Bets presented by NYRA Bets (G1), then finished the campaign with a fifth place in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). Adept at training, Girvin started just one more time, finishing second, five and a half behind the Bee Jersey, at the Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) before retiring to Ocala Stud for the next breeding season.

Girvin is the best of the three winners ranked in the Northern Hemisphere emerging from the first eight plants bred by Tale of Ekati. The son of Tale of the Cat, Tale of Ekati won the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) and finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), but was better at shorter distances, and the win was notable. His best was when he was only 3 years old. Fight older horses in the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1). Given the superiority shown by Damon’s Mound, it’s worth noting that Tale of Ekati is also transitional enough to capture Futurity Stakes (G2) at level 2.

If Girvin’s pedigree isn’t very commercial on the male side, it does have some interesting inbreeding. Firstly, he has four crossbreeds of Mr Pros Inspector in the first five generations of his pedigree, three of which are through similarly bred individuals: Tale of the Cat, a Storm Bird/Mr. . Cross prosecutor (with Nijinsky II in his dam); The story of Ekati’s Mrs. Maplejinsky, Nijinsky II’s (a horse bred similar to Storm Bird) from his daughter Prosriter’s Gold Beauty, and Girvin’s parent Malibu Moon, who was of Macoumba, who Winner group 1 was bred on a Mr. Pros Inspector / Nijinsky II cross. The inbreeding scheme continues in Girvin’s distaff line. His grandmother, Catch My Fancy stake winner, is of Yes It True in Walk Away Rene, half sister to Clever Monique, smasher of Yes It True. This causes Catch My Fancy to inbreed 3×2 with Girvin’s fourth dam, Monique Rene. An extremely persistent performer, Monique Rene won 29 of 45 starts, 15 of them in the black races, nearly all at the Fair Grounds and Louisiana Downs, and she is the ancestor of 21 ranked, stake winners, including the previously mentioned Yes It True; Half-sibling of Girvin Midnight Bourbon, Cocked and Loaded, and Pirate’s Punch; as well as Canadian Champion Kiss A Native, Prince of the Mt., Silver Max, and Shancelot.

Girvin’s line of wealthy women was in stark contrast to that of Damon’s Mound. His dam, mare Stroll San Antonio Stroll, won black with a second in M2 Technology La Senorita Stakes during her second outing in 2. However, San Antonio Stroll was the winner. Her only win from two ponies for her dam, who didn’t win Twenty Three Red, and her grandmother, Ruhletta, who was a three-time winner at Sam Houston and the Lone Star, produced just two. Another small victory. To find the first black leather in the women’s line before San Antonio Stroll, we have to go back to Damon’s Mound’s fourth dam, True Love Sue. That Temerity Prince’s daughter was underrated but produced 5 winners, including Pronto Paco, three-quarters of Twenty Three Red’s brother, who achieved his black type with a third in the Texas Stallion Stocks. There was no immediate increase in quality under the next two dams. The fifth dam, Dancing Katie, was performed by a black performer, Louisiana Futurity’s second Amazing Allison, and Dancing Katie’s only win made her one of two winners for her dam , Dancing Ax. Digging a little deeper, one comes to some horse royalty, and with a royal connection there.

Damon’s Mound’s seventh dam, the Swap Dances bet, is from the amazing athlete Swaps, winner of the 1955 Kentucky race. He’s interesting because he was bred on the top by Rex Ellsworth. Khaled cross with a mare by Beau Pere, a description that also matches Dancing Date, the third dam by Monique Rene, whom we have mentioned is a close duplicate of the Girvin family. On the dam side, Swap Dances possesses a truly illustrious pedigree, just as she was the Native Dancer, of Carrozza, who wore the colors of Queen Elizabeth II to win Epsom Oaks in 1957. Carrozza certainly did. bred to classic success, as she was the winner of the Epsom Derby, Dante, in Calash, she is the sister of Sun Chariot, the 1942 British Fillies Triple Crown winner, a winner Achievements include beating young horses, including that year’s winner Derby, in St. Leger.

Although the branch of the family that led to Damon’s Mound has achieved little in the intervening generations, Carrozza has been influential through other avenues. Of her sons, two have made names as males, Battle-Waggon in New Zealand and Semenenko in Chile, where he is Champion Sire. Carrozza is also an ancestor of Helenus, having been successful in the Victoria Derby (G1), MRC Caulfield Guineas (G1), and STC Rosehill Guineas (G1); Matahawk, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris (G1); and Marley’s Freedom, succeeding in six classified holdings, including Ballerina (G1).

If it’s disappointing in terms of producing runners, the generations between Carrozza and Damon’s Mound have provided important reinforcement to Girvin’s pedigree. Damon’s Mound’s fifth beat, Dancing Katie, is from Prince Street, by Nijinsky II from a Native Dancer mare, complimenting Nijinsky II and Storm Bird/Mr. The prosecutor combinations we mentioned in Girvin’s genealogy. Damon’s Mound’s second dam is from The Prime Minister, a half-brother to Gold Beauty, a Champion Sprinter, who appears as the third dam of Girvin’s resembling daughter, Tale of Ekati. Finally, Damon’s Mound’s stallion, Stroll, was Pulpit’s. He was bred to be very similar to Girvin’s stallion, Malibu Moon, both of which were bred by AP Indy from Pros Inspector’s mares with Nijinsky II in the dam. Pulpit apart from Preach, is Yarn’s sister, beating in Tale of the Cat, and these two brothers appear in at least 20 stake winners, three of whom are class 1s, headed by hero Triple Crown 2018, Justify, Leader of 2022.