Dale Romans points Little Mike to the Dubai Sheema Classic
Priscilla Vaccarezza Little Mike showed promise last year on the track, and he has carried that amazing form this year as well, and has blossomed in a fine gelding, who takes on new challenges and comes out on top more often than not.
Recently, he added the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf to his trophy cabinet by defeating the likes of Point of Entry in second and St. Nicholas Abbey in third with the winning time of 2 minutes and 22.38 seconds going 1 ½ miles over Santa Anita Park’s unique downhill turf course on 3 November, 2012.
One of his best performances, which came at the 2012 Breeders’ Cup, trainer Dale Romans is looking to start the 5-year-old gelding by Spanish Steps in the UAE Group 1, $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic on 30 March, 2013, at the Meydan Race Course.
The Dubai Sheema Classic will be run on the same card as the Group 1, $10 million Dubai World Cup, and is run at about 1 ½ miles on the Meydan lawn, which has eluded every American trained horse ever since its inception, but any horse associated with the U.S.A in any way won the race was Nayef back in 2002, who was bred by Shadwell Farm in Kentucky.
However, the Florida bred Little Mike has surprised his fans and connections by defying odds before, and this season has gone on to with three grade 1 U.S. races, and each time Little Mike was stretched out in distance.
Kicked off the season with a victory in the Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park, which extended his winning streak – that was extended from last season – to 4 on the trot.
He won his first grade 1 of the season and career when he downed the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, and then won the Grade 1 Arlington Mile at Arlington Park.
“People never believed in this horse," Vaccarezza said. "He’d win at a mile and people would say, ‘Let’s see what he does at a mile and an eighth. He won at (that distance) at Churchill Downs and his jockey, Joe Bravo—who I still love—took off the mount when he went to the mile and a quarter in the Arlington Million. He wanted to ride Turbo Compressor at Saratoga. He didn’t believe in the horse. But here comes Little Mike again and he won.”
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