Girvano tramples Kenneth Mattis field

United States-bred GIRVANO, an open–allowance winner for champion trainer Jason DaCosta in January and runner-up to PHENOMENAL POWER in the grade-one Diamond Mile two months ago, yesterday trampled horses three classes lower in the Kenneth Mattis Memorial at nine furlongs and 25 yards.

Allowed a bye by the conditions book to compete among overnight-allowance runners, GIRVANO, who last year beat his stablemate, FUNCAANDUN, 2024 Mouttet Mile winner, in the Grade 1 Distinctly Irish Trophy, won the Kenneth Mattis by almost a dozen lengths, allowing local-bred runner-up, INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD, 17lb en route to clocking an out-of-class 1:54.2 for the trip.

Tracking TEFLON DON and INTRESTNTIMESAHEAD picking each other apart on the lead down the backstretch, 2-5 favourite GIRVANO waltzed to the lead approaching the last three furlongs and sauntered about his business in the stretch run, closing a two-timer for leading rider Tevin Foster, who had earlier won the fourth astride Lawrence Freemantle’s VICTORIOUS LINKS.