DRF | 6 years ago
It might have been only career win No. 100, pretty ordinary stuff as milestones go these days, but it still was a special moment for trainer Carlo Vaccarezza when Micah's Girl crossed the finish line first to earn his diploma in Monday's sixth race at Gulfstream Park West.
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Tags ‘Little Mike’
Four-time Grade 1 winner Little Mike retired to Old Friends
DRF | 8 years ago
Owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza said Thursday that he has retired his four-time Grade 1 winner Little Mike, who will live out the remainder of his days at Old Friends Thoroughbred retirement farm in Kentucky.
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Grade 1 winner Little Mike retired at 9
DRF | 8 years ago
Owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza said Friday that he has retired his four-time Grade 1 winner Little Mike, who will live out the remainder of his days at Old Friends Farm in Kentucky.
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Little Mike to get another chance
DRF | 8 years ago
Little Mike came out of his comeback race Sunday at Gulfstream Park in good shape and will be pointed to a $75,000 restricted turf stakes on Aug. 6 at the south Florida track.
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Little Mike finishes fifth in comeback
DRF | 8 years ago
Little Mike, a winner of four Grade 1 races, including the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf, disappointed in returning from a layoff of more than two years in the seventh race at Gulfstream Park on Sunday, finishing fifth.
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Little Mike returns with great numbers, lots of rust
DRF | 8 years ago
When Little Mike makes his long-awaited return in the seventh race Sunday at Gulfsteam Park, his strength in number power should prove unmistakable to horseplayers. A four-time Grade 1 winner, he has racked up more than $3.5 million in earnings, more than 4 1/2 times the collective bankrolls of his six rivals, and he has repeatedly run Beyer Speed Figures in the upper 90s or 100s – exceeding the top figures of his opponents.
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Little Mike will run in allowance Sunday
DRF | 8 years ago
Little Mike, the multiple Grade 1 winner who has gone unraced for more than two years, is scheduled to make his comeback Sunday in a $44,000, classified allowance at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
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Little Mike almost ready for 9-year-old debut
DRF | 8 years ago
Little Mike worked four furlongs in 49.60 over the main track at Palm Meadows on Friday with jockey Elvis Trujillo aboard as he gets ever closer to launching his comeback.
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Little Mike will return to training
DRF | 8 years ago
Little Mike, who has not started since winning the Flying Pidgeon Stakes here in May 2014, will launch one more comeback, owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza said earlier this week.
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Palm Meadows to remain open during summer
DRF | 9 years ago
The Palm Meadows training center will be kept open throughout the summer for the first time since the facility opened in 2002. One horseman already happy to have availed himself of the opportunity to stable at the Boynton Beach location this summer is Carlo Vaccarezza, who sent out a pair of winners from Palm Meadows over the weekend at Gulfstream Park, including Little Michelle in Saturday’s Gracie Handicap.
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Little Mike taking extended vacation
DRF | 9 years ago
Any chance of Little Mike returning to action here at Gulfstream Park this winter ended earlier this month when owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza sent the four-time Grade 1 winner back to the farm in Ocala.
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Little Mike won’t race again until 2015
DRF | 10 years ago
Little Mike, who has started just once in 2014, will not race again this year, owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza said on Thursday.
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Little Mike will rest before gearing up for Breeders’ Cup
DRF | 10 years ago
Owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza has decided to point to a late summer and fall campaign that would have Little Mike primed for yet another start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, a race he won two years ago while under the guidance of Dale Romans.
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Little Mike wires Flying Pidgeon Stakes
DRF | 10 years ago
Little Mike made a triumphant return to the races Saturday at Gulfstream Park, leading throughout to register a 2 3/4-length victory over Hakama in the $75,000 Flying Pidgeon Stakes.
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Little Mike gets season started in Flying Pidgeon
DRF | 10 years ago
Little Mike, who has made more news off the track than on the track over the last several weeks, will finally make his 2014 debut Saturday at Gulfstream Park in the $75,000 Flying Pidgeon Stakes.
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Little Mike to make 2014 debut Saturday
DRF | 10 years ago
Multiple Grade 1 winner Little Mike will make his 2014 debut here Saturday in the $75,000 Flying Pidgeon Stakes, which will be a prep for the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont on June 7.
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Vaccarezza protests by pulling Little Mike from Woodford Reserve Turf Classic
DRF | 10 years ago
Carlo Vaccarezza, the owner and trainer of multiple Grade 1 winner Little Mike, pulled his horse from Churchill Downs on Tuesday, in a protest of a decision by Kentucky racing regulators to take a blood sample from the horse for out-of-competition testing.
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Little Mike on collision course with Wise Dan
DRF | 10 years ago
Little Mike will likely make his 2014 debut in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs on May 3 – the same race Wise Dan is targeting.
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Gulfstream Park: Little Mike works toward Manhattan as first major target
DRF | 10 years ago
Little Mike moved nearer to his 2014 debut after working six furlongs in 1:15.81 shortly after the first renovation break Friday at Gulfstream Park.
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Gulfstream Park: Little Mike breezes easy three furlongs
DRF | 10 years ago
Multiple Grade 1 winner Little Mike got his first feel for the local strip since arriving from Ocala, Fla., on Saturday, breezing a very easy three furlongs in 38.23 seconds on Monday at Gulfstream for his owner and now trainer, Carlo Vaccarezza.
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Gulfstream Park: Little Mike’s new trainer, Romans remain friends
DRF | 10 years ago
Carlo Vaccarezza said his decision to train Little Mike is definitely not any indication, as some people have inferred, that he has had a falling out with Dale Romans.
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Asian Sweep in Hong Kong: Sport’s Beauty Shines at International Races
National Headlines | Paulick Report | 10 years ago
Home track advantage proved to be too much to overcome for the international contingent at Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin. All four races were swept by horses...
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Hong Kong: Lord Kanaloa, Glorious Days, Dominant, Akeed Mofeed win Grade 1 races
DRF | 10 years ago
The Hong Kong Jockey Club rolls out the red carpet for international shippers to the Hong Kong International Races, but Sunday’s Grade 1 contests at Sha Tin continued to be inhospitable to overseas runners.
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Hong Kong: Stud-studded field in Mile
DRF | 10 years ago
A top-notch international contingent – perhaps the best ever – has shipped to Hong Kong for the four Group 1 races on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, but the big Hong Kong races have so far proven elusive targets for international shippers.
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Halfway ‘Round the World: Americans Relish Underdog Role in Hong Kong
National Headlines | Paulick Report | 10 years ago
At Thursday’s Barrier Draw for the Longines Hong Kong International Races, American connections were clearly in a small minority. There are only two horses representing the U.S. among the many...
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Churchill Downs notes: Magic Hour must slow it down in Falls City Handicap
DRF | 10 years ago
There’s a filly with a blood connection to Fort Larned still in trainer Ian Wilkes's barn at Churchill Downs, and she stands a chance to reprise a fraction of family glory on Thanksgiving Day in the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap.
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Breeders’ Cup Turf: Magician pulls one out of his hat
DRF | 11 years ago
There was no illusion or tricks to Magician’s win in Saturday’s $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita. In his first start since a ninth-place finish in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, Magician ($25) made his first start over 1 1/2 miles on turf and took to the distance with ease, winning by a half-length over The Fugue, the 3-2 favorite.
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Andrew Beyer: Horse of the Year title on the line at Breeders’ Cup
DRF | 11 years ago
One year ago, the choice for Horse of the Year was settled in the final hour of the Breeders’ Cup. Wise Dan defeated high-class international competition to capture the Mile and establish his supremacy as a grass specialist. When Game On Dude, regarded as the country’s best dirt runner, flopped in the Classic, he handed the sport’s top honor to Wise Dan.
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Breeders’ Cup Turf: Little Mike breezes speedy five furlongs
DRF | 11 years ago
Quick five-furlong workouts are rare for Little Mike, the 2012 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 6-year-old gelding often works that distance in times of between 1:01 and 1:03 when exercising at Churchill Downs or Gulfstream Park, where he has been based with trainer Dale Romans the past few years.
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Breeders’ Cup: Romans stable looks ahead to championship event in wake of Dullahan’s death
DRF | 11 years ago
Of the many people saddened by the death of multiple Grade 1 winner Dullahan, perhaps no one took it harder than Bailey Romans. The 20-year-old daughter of Dale Romans and Tammy Fox absolutely reveled in the exploits of an exceptional chestnut colt who died Oct. 20 from a ruptured colon.
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Keeneland notes: Little Mike breezes for Breeders’ Cup Turf
DRF | 11 years ago
Little Mike had his first breeze since his win in the Sept. 28 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic when going an easy five furlongs in 1:03 on Saturday over a fast main track at Churchill Downs.
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Breeders’ Cup Turf: Point of Entry might make it back for race
DRF | 11 years ago
Point of Entry, unraced since June because of injury, still might have enough time to be ready for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.
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Breeders’ Cup Turf: Indy Point joins field with John Henry Turf Championship score
DRF | 11 years ago
Indy Point joined the list of leading contenders for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 with his comprehensive win in Sunday’s $150,000 John Henry Turf Championship at the same track.
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Trip Notes for September 28-29: Beldame, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Frontrunner, Awesome Again and more…
DRF | 11 years ago
Trip Notes for September 28-29: 16 stakes races including Beldame, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Frontrunner, Awesome Again and more by Michael Hammersly.
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Belmont Park notes: Princess of Sylmar unlikely to run again this year
DRF | 11 years ago
Princess of Sylmar most likely will not run again this year but will be pointed to a 2014 campaign, her owner said Sunday.
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Little Mike Victorious in Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
Michael Compton | 11 years ago
Little Mike rediscovered his best stride on Saturday, rallying from off the pace to win the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park. A 6-year-old gelding, Little Mike is known for his early lick, but won the Turf Classic coming from o...
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Belmont Park: Brown has formidable pair for Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
DRF | 11 years ago
Trainer Chad Brown is taking his best shot at Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park. With no other suitable spots to split them up before the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, Brown will run the Ken and Sarah Ramsey-owned Grade 1-winning pair of Real Solution and Big Blue Kitten.
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Little Mike targets Joe Hirsch Turf Classic
DRF | 11 years ago
Owner Carlo Vaccarezza has announced that Little Mike, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf last year, will run next in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Sept. 28 at Belmont instead of the Shadwell Turf Mile a week later at Keeneland.
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Kentucky notes: Admiral Kitten getting ready for Jamaica
DRF | 11 years ago
Admiral Kitten had his first breeze Saturday since his breakthrough victory in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes and will make his next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Jamaica on Oct. 5 at Belmont Park.
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Stellar International Field Set for Arlington Million
Michael Compton | 11 years ago
Florida-bred Little Mike will defend his Arlington Million crown on Saturday against a stellar international field. The Dale Romans-trained son of Spanish Steps has not finished better than 4th in three Grade 1 events in 2013, but he has reportedly bee...
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Arlington Million: Little Mike draws post 11 for repeat bid
DRF | 11 years ago
Little Mike’s bid to become the first winner of back-to-back Arlington Millions started with at least a small measure of success at the Million post position draw.
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Arlington Million attracts balanced cast of pre-entrants
DRF | 11 years ago
Fourteen horses, including defending champion Little Mike, were pre-entered Friday for the Aug. 17 Arlington Million.
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Arlington Park: Little Mike will seek Million repeat
DRF | 11 years ago
After working a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.80 this past Saturday on the main track at Churchill Downs, Little Mike is on track for an attempt to do something no horse ever has done: Win the Arlington Million two years in a row.
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Monmouth Park: Little Mike returns to action in United Nations
DRF | 11 years ago
After a fruitless trip to Dubai, Little Mike returns to action Saturday in the Grade 1, $500,000 United Nations at Monmouth Park. The U.N. will be the first U.S. start this season for Little Mike, a monster on the turf last year with Grade 1 wins in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, the Arlington Million, and the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
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Ellis Park: Long-distance commuter Nelson takes over as announcer
DRF | 11 years ago
When the 29-day Ellis Park meet begins Thursday in Henderson, Ky., it will be with Keith Nelson as the new full-time caller.
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Churchill Downs: Little Mike set for second half
DRF | 11 years ago
Little Mike, an Eclipse Award turf division finalist last year, is gearing up for an ambitious second half of 2013 after recently returning to Churchill Downs following a brief rest.
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Dubai World Cup: Animal Kingdom might end career at Royal Ascot after impressive victory
DRF | 11 years ago
Marcus Hersh
In a way, the Dubai World Cup was a race Animal Kingdom needed to win.
Animal Kingdom had his victory in the Kentucky Derby and subsequently had performed in ways that suggested he c...
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Dubai Duty Free: Sajjhaa completes rise to the top
DRF | 11 years ago
Marcus Hersh
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Sajjhaa came to Dubai this winter with a Group 3 win in Italy as the pinnacle of her career, but she has blossomed into a star at Meydan. Her conv...
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Dubai Duty Free: Little Mike will play catch me if you can
DRF | 11 years ago
Marcus Hersh
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – When the racing people in Dubai laid out a grand vision for the Dubai World Cup meeting, a race like this year’s $5 million Duty Free could ...
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