Damon’s Mound in the winner’s circle following the NYRA Bets Sprint, Ben Baugh Photo
Damon’s Mound eclipses $1 million in Earnings, Live Oak Plantation win two stakes, Mr Mo’s Magic and Makykomotion score their first stakes victories and Tessellate wins her second Stakes of the meet
Ben Baugh
OLDSMAR, FL – The 23rd Annual Florida Cup March 29, 2026, at Tampa Bay Downs, showcased the talent of some of the best state-breds, and the AAA Feed and Tack Turf Classic, the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf and the NYRABETS Sprint featured finishes that were decided by narrow margins.
Live Oak Plantation’s homebred Uncle’s Gold won the day’s first stakes race, with a win in the 23rd edition of the $110,000 AAA Feed and Turf Tack Classic. The Michael Trombetta charge stalked Tank, the early pacesetter, and would eventually engage Adios Cole, dueling in the stretch before getting up to win by a desperate neck in the 1 1/8-mile contest. Hall of Famer John Velazquez piloted Uncle’s Gold to victory.
The son of Uncle Mo has won three of his last four starts including an allowance race to start the year at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 2.
Uncle’s Gold overcame a bit of adversity at the start of the race, bumping with Ciao Chuck.
“It set up the way I expected, there was one horse on the lead on the inside, the number four (Ciao Chuck) that had some speed,” said Velazquez. “I thought I would get up on the four a little bit sooner than the first turn, it took me halfway on the first turn to get out from behind him…I came to the second turn, and he came running. I was very pleased.”
Bona Venture Stables and Bianco Thoroughbreds Maykomotion seems to have a predilection for Tampa Bay Downs, as the gray colt conditioned by George Weaver joined the stakes winning ranks, wiring the field in the 23rd running of the $110,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes to win the 7-furlong spring by two lengths.
Maykomotion broke his maiden in his previous start also at Tampa Bay Downs on March 7, 2026, once again going wire-to-wire and winning by 6 ¼-lenghts. Dominique Damico bred the son of Vekoma. It seemed appropriate that a graduate of the 2025 OBS Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale who was purchased by SGV/GRW, agent for Saratoga Springs-based Bona Venture Stables for $160,000 from the consignment of Niall Brennan.
“The race unfolded the way I expected,” said Velazquez. “He was very fast at the beginning. When he broke his maiden, he was really fast out of the gate, I put my hands down and let him do his thing.”
Mr Mo’s Magic did something that Uncle’s Gold and Maykomotion had done in their previous races, winning his first stakes race, the $110,000 Lambholm South Sophomore Turf. Lynn Rarick trained the winner who was ridden to victory by the veteran J.C. Ferrer. Ray Huelsman and Keith Anderson campaign the son of Uncle Chuck, who made his first two starts during his juvenile Campaign at Canterbury Downs.
Mr Mo’s Magic showed his resiliency in the 1 1/16-mile race on the turf, launching a bid from the three path to win by 1 ¾ lengths, after an 8th place finish in the Columbia Stakes on Tampa Bay Downs Festival Day March 7 in his last start.
“In the Columbia, it was a little bit softer turf than he would’ve liked,” said Rarick. ”The distance was great. We were hoping that we wouldn’t get any rain today.”
The sophomore colt was bred by Gerardo Bello and was purchased by Huelsman and Anderson from the consignment of Majestic for $50,000 at the 2025 OBS Spring Sales of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
“We had him in Minnesota,” said Rarick. “We bought him out of the OBS sale, ran him a couple of times on the dirt, and we knew he was probably going to want to go longer. I wanted to give him some experience until we got down here. We tried him on the turf and he likes this turf down here.”
Cliff and Michelle Love’s Damon’s Mound won his seventh career stakes the $110,000 NYRABETS Sprint. The time-tested combination of Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado combined for the victory as the six-year-old horse engaged in a battle with Chrome Ghost throughout, commandeering the lead from his rival in deep stretch to win by a half-length.
“He likes to have the horses right next to him, that’s when he does his best when he has a horse right up next to him,” said Alvarado. “He handled the track. He’s an old pro. He runs good at every track. I wasn’t worried about that today.
The son of Girvin was bred by Cliff Love and eclipsed the $1 million threshold with the victory. It was Damon’s Mound’s third stakes victory in his last four starts, having won the Sunshine Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 17 and the Bold Ruler Stakes (Gr. 3) at Aqueduct on Nov. 2. Other graded stakes for Damon’s Mound include the Gallant Bob Stakes (Gr. 2) at Parx Racing during his sophomore campaign and winning the Saratoga Special (Gr. 2) in his second lifetime start as a juvenile. He turned in a bullet work on March 24, at Payson Park Training Center covering 3-furlongs in 35.20 seconds.
Live Oak Plantation’s 4-year-old homebred Souper Zonda won the $110,000 Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf by a half-length under the masterful handling of five-time Eclipse Award winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., winning s stretch duel with Let’s Go Koko in the 1 1/16-mile contest on the turf.
The Mark Casse charge had turned in a bullet work at Palm Meadows while under the watchful eye of Casse assistant trainer Elliott Sullivan working a half mile on March 20 at in 47.95 seconds.
The chestnut daughter of the 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin, won the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Stakes on Jan. 10 at Gulfstream Park.
The Saffie Jospeh Jr. conditioned Tessellate won her second stakes race of the meet at Tampa Bay Downs by capturing the $110,000 Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes contested at 7-furlongs. Irad Ortiz picked up his second stakes win of the day, winning in a dominant performance as the bay filly left the field in her wake, with a 4 ¾ length score over her rivals.
The 3-year-old daughter of McKinzie is owned by the partnership of Magic Cap Stables, Paul Braverman, Timothy Pinch, Castle Gate Farm, LLC, BAG Racing Stables, John Reinhardt and Turf Express Racing Inc. It was the third stakes victory for Tessellate, who has won three of her last four races, having captured the Gasparilla Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 10 and in the fall of last year, she took the Juvenile Fillies Sprint Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 15, 2025.
Tessellate was purchased by Saffie Joseph, Jr. at the 2024 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale for $170,000 from Paramount Sales.
Get your reservation for our annual Kentucky Derby seminar now! Details Here
