Little Mike will rest before gearing up for Breeders' Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Little Mike missed his last two scheduled starts, the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Manhattan, due to licensing disputes between owner-trainer Carlo Vaccarezza and the racing commissions in Kentucky and New York.

Little Mike’s next intended goal was the Arlington Million. But after losing out on the opportunity to get a prep, Vaccarezza has opted to pass that race as well.

Instead, 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.

“After the fiasco in New York, when someone first told my lawyer that I would be approved for a license and then the state ultimately said no, I just backed off on Little Mike completely,” Vaccarezza said. “I’ll take my time with him and look for a couple of races later this summer. Perhaps something here at Gulfstream first and then maybe back to New York for the Joe Hirsch, like we did last year, as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup”

Little Mike won the 2013 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational five weeks prior to his seventh-place finish in the BC Turf. He has started just once this season, easily winning the Flying Pidgeon overnight stakes here May 17. Vaccarezza assumed training duties for Little Mike at the beginning of the 2014 campaign.

Vaccarezza is hoping to fill the void created by Little Mike’s recent absence with Little Alexis, who returns Saturday as the likely favorite against seven other fillies and mares in Gulfstream’s $32,000 co-feature, a first-level optional $25,000 claimer at six furlongs.

Little Alexis has been idle since her career debut Feb. 9, when she rallied to a 1 3/4-length victory over My Miss Sophia. My Miss Sophia has since become one of the leading members of her division, winning the Gazelle and finishing second behind Untapable in the Kentucky Oaks.

“Little Alexis bruised her foot in her first start, and it took a while to heal her up,” Vaccarezza said. “I put her in my spa every day, and the machine did wonders for her. But she put a little weight on during that time, and I didn’t want to rush her back. She’s about as fit as she can be right now, although perhaps not quite 100 percent like she was for her first start.”

Little Alexis, one of three 3-year-olds in the field, will be giving away plenty of experience to her competition Saturday, including top contenders French Politics, Four Aria, and Saint Aggie.

"This is a completely different group than she faced in her first start. There are horses in the race Saturday who have won four, five, and six races,” said Vaccarezza. “But I think she’s going to run big, and if she runs the number she ran in her first start, forget about it, it will be no contest. But we’ll see. If she does run well, I’ll probably think about taking her to Saratoga for a stakes.”

◗ The Thoroughbred Aftercare Program at Gulfstream has allocated $100,000 to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to be distributed to accredited aftercare facilities, including Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care.

“The TAA has done an outstanding job in a very short time helping our industry provide long-term care for retired Thoroughbreds,” said Gulfstream Park president Tim Ritvo. “The accreditation system for aftercare facilities assures all of us in the industry that funding will go directly to the horses. By working with the TAA we can be sure that our retired equine athletes have the chance at second careers, safe environments, and loving homes.”

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