There aren’t many, if any horses I respect (hmhmm, root for) more than Little Mike. The seven year old gelding has had a career full of ups & downs & highs & lows. The summer of 2014 brings on a comeback of sorts for the multiple graded stakes winner, but let’s go back to the beginning. Little Mike was foaled May 24, 2007, by Spanish Steps, out of Hay Jude, by Wavering Monarch. From the beginning , I can’t imagine much was expected him. After all, Spanish Steps didn’t have a race record & wasn’t producing athletes like his brother Unbridled’s Song. None the less, his owners Priscilla & Carlo Vaccarezza sent Little Mike (who is named after their son Mike) to Crupi’s New Castle Farm in Ocala, Florida. A 150 acre, state of the art training facility in the heart of Florida. JJ Crupi & his New Castle Farm have a great reputation for breaking young horses & readying them to run. Little Mike was no exception & graduated a prepared colt. After starting off slowly, losing his first four starts, Little Mike began showing potential with victories in multiple maiden special weight & allowance races for trainer Allen Iwanski. In early 2011 Little Mike was put in the hands of well known trainer Dale Romans. The next step was a jump up in class to take on graded stakes competition.
So in 2011 Little Mike set out to take on his toughest competition yet. Despite supposed flaws in his breeding & his relatively small stature, Little Mike would, for the most part have a very successful year. That success started with the grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale FL, a track he would excel at. At the long odds of 13-1 Little Mike would hold on to win by a nose for his first graded stakes victory. His next would come a little over a month later in the grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes also at Gulfstream Park. In each of his grade 3 victories Little Mike broke well from the gate, got the lead along the inside, & set the pace with a quick first quarter before wiring the field. Little Mike’s next win came in his very next race, the grade 3 Appleton Stakes, once again at Gulfstream Park & once again with his front-running style. Now a couple patterns were beginning to form: 1) Little Mike needs the lead because pace is the key to his success & 2) this horse loves Gulfstream Park, which raised the question, can Little Mike win away from GP? But before Little Mike could prove himself against any doubters, he suffered a condylar fracture. The injury would sideline the bay gelding for over eight months & put a two race winning streak on hold. This was another major obstacle for Little Mike to overcome, how would he respond?
The good news for Little Mike & his handlers was the injury was not catastrophic . Condylar fractures are fractures that occur at the lower end of the canon bone & are the most common injuries in horse racing. Most often than not, horses recover fully & are able to resume their racing careers., which was the case for Little Mike. After eight plus months of recovery & training he was ready to be back on the track and racing. n late December of 2011 he took the track for an allowance race at GP & picked up from where he left off. In typical fashion, he took the lead, set the pace off the rail, drew clear in the stretch, & was all out for his third straight victory. Little Mike had won four out of five races & overcame a serious injury in 2011. Now healthy & back on track, the next logical step was grade 1 competition, & Little Mike would compete with the best.
2012 would see Little Mike grow into a champion thoroughbred race horse & receive the accolades that come with it. The plan was two prep races & then off to Churchill Downs the first weekend in May for the grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic. A giant step up for Little Mike. The first prep was the Florida Sunshine Millions at GP, he controlled the pace & extended his win streak to four with a 1-3/4 length victory. The next was the Canadian Turf Stakes, which Little Mike had won the year previous. This time the race proved to be more of a challenge. A speed duel early with Trend & Paco Lopez was too much to overcome & Little Mike faded to finish fourth. Just like that the win streak was over, but Dale Romans wasn’t deterred. He had two months to get Little Mike ready for the biggest race of his career.
Despite the cult following Little Mike had in South Florida, not many gave
him a chance in the Woodford Reserve. He was facing stiff competition in the likes of Slim Shadey, Data Link, & Turallure, just to name a few. This was also his first race away from the friendly confines of Gulfstream Park in well over a year. Oh & did I mention, it was on the same day as America’s most celebrated race, the Kentucky Derby. The deck was stacked against him & handicappers & the betting public knew it. At post time Little Mike was 12-1, one of the longest odds on the board. He was also up against a few other front running horses, so making the lead would be crucial to pulling off the upset. Little Mike w Joe Bravo aboard did just that. He broke well, drifted out a little, but sprinted clear, dove down inside into the first turn, & just like that set the pace on the rail. Once Little Mike had the rail it was over, he stayed clear in the stretch with some urging from Bravo & won rather easily by 2-½ lengths. "I've been riding for 24 years," Bravo said, "and I can't say a horse will stick out more in my mind than Little Mike will. He's a horse that's overcome so much.” Little Mike had proven himself among the best turf horses in the country, he wasn’t just a Gulfstream Park specialist anymore. After a somewhat disappointing 3rd place finish in the grade 1 Shoemaker Mile stakes, Little Mike was pointed towards the 1-1/4 mile Arlington Million stakes in August of 2012.
The Arlington Million is one of the most prestigious turf races in the country & brings very good thoroughbreds from around the world to the suburbs of Chicago for the chance to win the $1 million prize. In fact European horses had swept the first three races before the Million, but that would change & I was lucky enough to be there to see it. Some worried Little Mike wouldn’t be able to handle the extra ¼ mile or the European competition, even so he was co-second choice at 7-2. I had been having a great day making money off the Euro shippers, but loved Little Mike in this spot as the lone speed & thought 7-2 was more than a fair price. The gritty gelding was up against the likes of Rahystrada, Boisterious, & Euros: Afsare & Treasure Beach, a tough veteran group. The anticipation for the main event had grown throughout the day & there was a buzz in the crowd. I took a spot on the rail, right in front of the finish line & found myself nervously muttering, “c’mon Little Mike, you got this, c’mon buddy”. The horses were entering the starting gate, Little Mike loaded into post 4…ding! gate flies open & Little Mike broke out of the gate like a rocket. As planned, Little Mike dictated a measured pace on the inside while maintaining a comfortable lead. He continued controlling the pace while his competitors jockeyed for position behind him. With three furlongs to go, Roman Dominguez began urging him to pick it up & all of a sudden Little Mike had opened up a five length lead with a furlong to go. Afsare made a game effort to close, but Little Mike handled the distant with ease & wired the field for a 1 ½ length victory. “Little Mike made every yard a winning one!” track announcer John Dooley declared. I usually don’t get too emotional at the track, but I was yelling & jumping, doing everything I could to will Little Mike home. When he crossed the finish much the best, it felt like i had won, I was so proud of that horse. As he made his way to the winner circle I followed & watched the celebration, even Mike Ditka was down there getting his picture taken the Million dollar champ. Owner Carlos Vaccarezza, "This horse has deadly speed. If he gets on the lead and gets the right fractions no horse is going to catch him." Little Mike made a lot of new fans that day & proved a lot of doubters wrong, but the best was yet to come ...
The Breeder’s Cup is often called the “SuperBowl” of thoroughbred horse racing, bringing the best from around the world to compete on the grandest stage American horse racing has to offer. Dale Romans had a little over two months to get Little Mike ready for the Breeder’s Cup Turf, a 1 ½ mile race on turf for a purse of $3 million. First Little Mike would go to Belmont Park for the 1 ½ mile Joe Hirsch Turf Classic to basically see if he could carry his speed the extra quarter mile. Little Mike had won 6 of his last 8 races, but was facing some formidable foes in Finnegan’s Wake, Treasure Beach, & especially Point of Entry. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be a successful day for the gritty gelding, he was able to take control of the opening fractions, but yielded the lead at the half mile pole, retreated & finished fifth. So once again Little Mike & Dale Romans were facing questions & doubters going into the BC Turf. Would he be allowed to set the pace? Would his speed carry? Would he be able to handle the distance? All those questions would be answered emphatically come early November 2012.
Breeder’s Cup weekend was to take place the first weekend in November at Santa Anita Park in sunny southern California. Little Mike was coming off a fifth place finish at the mile ½ distance & was facing some familiar faces, as well as Point of Entry, who had beat him handily the last time out. Throw in Euros St. Nicholas Abbey(RIP), Shareta, & Trailblazer out of Japan, & Little Mike was playing underdog once again, the 17-1 longshot didn’t stand a chance. I was at home watching from the comfort of my couch & couldn’t believe the odds I was seeing. Having followed Little Mike for so long I knew you never doubted him, this horse was all heart & it almost seemed like he enjoyed the role as underdog. As the horses loaded into the gate, Little Mike & Roman Dominguez waited patiently to load into post 7. The plan of attack was the usual custom front-running style Little Mike was so successful using, but as the gate flew open he found himself a step behind Turbo Compressor & settled in third behind Optimizer. The pace was quick for the mile ½ distance, but Little Mike angled inside & stalked from third five lengths in front of Trailblazer. Through the stretch the first time around Turbo Compressor continued to set a quick pace while Little Mike saved ground on the rail. As the race continued down the backstretch, Little Mike held third biding time with the majority of the field doing the same not far behind. With ⅜ of a mile to go Roman Dominguez began to urge Little Mike to make his move & passed Turbo Compressor to take the lead. On the inside Point of Entry was charging hard & down the middle of the track St. Nicholas Abbey was making a game run, but Little Mike was digging deep. Point of Entry was making up huge chunks of ground just to the outside of Little Mike now. Little Mike continued to dig in as POE was closing fast, but POE ran out of track & Little Mike pulled off an amazing ½ length upset! Little Mike had won the $3 million BC Turf less than a second off the track record. "Nobody thought he could come off the pace the way he did," Dale Romans explained. "Horses (that are front-runners) don't usually do that. That has to be his biggest race, to change his style in a race that prestigious and have him be successful." Little Mike paid an incredible $36.60. I was jumping for joy in my living room. As Dale Romans & Little Mike’s owners hugged & celebrated in the stands, I watched in euphoria. What an amazing horse. Little Mike was now 12-2-1 from 21 starts for trainer Dale Romans. There wasn’t a better way to end the year for Little Mike & his connections. The little horse with the big heart had once again proved his doubters wrong & was now a Breeder’s Cup Champion.
Little Mike had a breakout year in 2012, winning three grade 1 stakes races & winning well over $2.6 million in purses. He was rewarded by being named the Florida bred horse of the year, as well as champion older male & champion turf male. Dale Romans & Roman Dominguez both won prestigious Eclipse awards for trainer & jockey respectively. Unfortunately, Little Mike was shut out by champion miler Wise Dan for horse of the year & male turf horse (I can make an argument why Little Mike should have won both those categories, but thats for another time…). That said, Little Mike was now a champion thoroughbred having beaten some of the best turf horses from around the world. Time & time again the gritty bay gelding had to prove himself & answered the bell. They said he was a miler & he won at 1 ¼ , they said he couldn’t go a mile & ½ & he won most prestigious 1 ½ mile turf race in America. He wasn't the favorite in any of the three richest and most prestigious American turf races that he won. The son of an unraced stallion, Spanish Steps, & broodmare Hey Jude (who was given to Vaccarezza by his friend, Pat Greco, after finishing her modest racing career on the Chicago circuit) Little Mike had come a long way. The little horse was all heart.
-What was next for Little Mike & would he continue his championship form in 2013-2014?
Stay tuned for- Little Mike: All Heart (part 2) :
-Little Mike’s connections would make a somewhat controversial decision to go halfway around the world & go after the largest purse thoroughbred horse racing has to offer.
-As successful as team Little Mike was in 2012, 2013 would prove to be very difficult.
-After a very successful run as Little Mike’s trainer, Dale Romans would hand the keys to a new trainer for 2014.
-What does the future hold for Little Mike
