Vaccarezza celebrates 100th win as trainer

MIAMI – 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.

“I know it’s only 100, but I’ve been doing this less than four years, so it meant a lot to me,” Vaccarezza said. “I don’t have the big guns a lot of these other trainers do. I basically started with my own horses and a modest stable, so for me, I think getting to 100 is a pretty good accomplishment.”

Vaccarezza first got into the business as an owner and breeder and is best known for having campaigned 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Little Mike along with his wife, Priscilla. Little Mike, named after Vaccarezza’s oldest son, earned more than $3.5 million during his career. He registered his final victory in the 2014 Flying Pidgeon Stakes with Vaccarezza as his trainer.

“Right now, I’m looking to take the stable in a different direction,” said Vaccarezza, who was a major player at both the Saratoga select and Keeneland yearling sales. “With owners like Paul Pompa, John Williams, and J & J Stables behind me, I’m going to concentrate more on quality than quantity. I’ve got 37 horses now, 21 yearlings, about half we’ll probably try to pinhook and half we’ll keep to race.

“We bought a bunch of American Pharoahs, several Into Mischiefs, a Scat Daddy for $650,000 at the OBS June sale, and a full sister to Jerry Hollendorfer’s good 2-year-old Rowayton. I’ve also got a 2-year-old half-brother to Little Mike by Midnight Lute we named Parkland.”

Street Code in Friday feature

Vaccarezza will be represented in Friday’s featured race, a $28,000 starter and optional-claiming event carded at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf, by Street Code. The well-bred son of Street Cry began his career with Chad Brown and has won 3 of 10 starts since being transferred to Vaccarezza’s barn at Palm Meadows a year ago.

Street Code is coming off a fourth-place finish behind Flashy Chelsey under similar starter conditions Sept. 16 at Gulfstream Park.

A field of nine plus two also-eligibles was entered in the main event, race 1 on the card. If run on grass, as scheduled (there was rain in the forecast for Friday), Flashy Chelsey looms the one to beat once again, having registered a pair of wins and two second-place finishes in his last four starts, all since joining the barn of owner and trainer Jose Gallegos during the summer.

Other key contenders include Gray Dude, Fast Fire, and Billy Big.