Micks Miracle may have bright future after Friday maiden win

It is safe to expect big things from Micks Miracle, the winner of a maiden special-weight race for 2-year-olds Friday. Recent history is on his side.

A maiden special-weight race for 2-year-olds has been part of the opening-day program of the winter-spring meeting in four of the last five years. Three of those four winners went on to win stakes – Concord Point, The Factor, and Midnight Transfer. The Factor won five stakes, including the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in 2011.

Whether Micks Miracle develops into a horse of that caliber remains to be seen, but he gave a dazzling performance in his debut. Ridden by Joe Talamo, Micks Miracle, by Wildcat Heir, stalked the pace for the first half-mile, took the lead in early stretch and won by a convincing 5 1/4 lengths as the 9-5 favorite. Micks Miracle ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.02.

“He came to me with a lot of hype, and in the morning, he showed plenty of ability,” trainer Phil D’Amato said Saturday. “He’s still a work in progress, but he has a ton of talent.”

Owned by breeder John Liviakis, Micks Miracle was based in Florida before joining D’Amato’s stable in late October. D’Amato said he would like to run Micks Miracle in an allowance race or the $200,000 San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs Feb. 1.

“We’ll play it by ear, whether it’s an allowance or stakes,” D’Amato said.