Little Mike indicated his return to the races after an 8 month layoff by turning in 5 furlongs at Gulfstream Park
The 4-year-old Dale L. Romans trained gelding, Little Mike, is eyeing his next start since April 2011, and for that he has to prove his fitness to his trainer and on 18 December, 2011, the Gulfstream Park was open for workouts and for the first time the
inner strip was available for exercise since this year’s Gulfstream Park meet began on 3 December, 2011.
The Florida bred son of Spanish Steps, out of mare Hay Jude by Wavering Monarch, Little Mike took advantage of the Gulfstream Park’s inner strip and was the first one out for exercise.
Little Mike loves Gulfstream Park’s turf course as he went on to win three Grade 3 races over it in 2011, and had the opportunity to feel the grass yet again under his feet after a long layoff.
The Grade 3 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park on 3 April, 2011, was the gelding’s last race and he exited that one with a victory under his belt as he covered the 1 mile distance in 1 minute and 32.87 seconds under jockey J Bravo, and in the process defeated
Riviera Cocktail in second and Asphalt in third.
It was his second Grade 3 win in a row, as the first one of the two turf win streak was the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes also at Gulfstream Park on 27 February, 2011, which he won under the same rider over the same distance of a mile but in much faster time.
The winning time for the Canadian Turf was 1 minute and 8.65 seconds, and in the process he downed Society’s Chairman and Yankee Fortune, who finished second and third, respectively.
The third 2011 turf win at Gulfstream Park for Little Mike came in the Grade 3 Fort Lauderdale at about 1 1/16 miles.
Though the turf star hasn’t raced since the Grade 3 Appleton and now he is ready to make a comeback. Under his usual jockey Joe Bravo, Little Mike turned in a work of five furlongs in 58.86 seconds. Little Mike posted splits of 24.01 seconds for the quarter
mile and then finished it on 36.06 seconds.
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