Dale Romans hoping Little Mike and Silver Max will crush the competition in their respective races
Trainer Dale Romans is counting on two of his best turf runners, Little Mike and Silver Max, who will be trying their best at Arlington Park. While Little Mike is scheduled to compete in the Grade 1 Arlington Million on 18th August,
2012, Silver Max will be starting in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes on the same card.
Silver Max, who is currently under the ownership of Mark Bacon, will aim to stretch his record from six consecutive victories to seven in this start.
The runner will be taking on a distance of 1 ¼ miles without a problem, since he has won at it in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby, which he completed in 2 minutes and 04.05 seconds.
Little Mike seems to have everything working in his favour. He has never taken on a distance as large as a 1 ¼ miles, but the trainer seems confident that it won’t hinder his ability to win.
The son of Spanish Steps triumphed in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, which covered 1 1/8 miles. With his skill, he dominated the track and finished the race in 1 minute and 48.81 seconds as he defeated, Slim Shadey.
Both being front wheelers, it will be interesting to see whether Little Mike will be able to go about the same way at a stretched out distance, or will he give up ground to reel it back in. Regarding Little Mike, the handler said:
“Like Silver Max, he just breaks and runs. I'd like to see him get a few lengths in front and slow it down, and then kick in."
Romans is confident about Silver Max’s ability to win and believes that he can do it, he told the press:
“Silver Max is in such good form he's going to be difficult to beat.”
The trainer also said:
"It's unusual for a horse to go on such a winning streak on the grass, as Silver Max has done, and do it on the lead."
Silver Max has an overall record of 7-5-0 in 13 starts while Little Mike stands at 10-2-1 in 18 starts.
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