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Little Mike returned to the races with a bang after converting the optional claimer at Gulfstream Park

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Little Mike returned to the races with a bang after converting the optional claimer at Gulfstream Park
The 4-year-old gelding, Little Mike, has proved it time and time again that he loves to race over Gulfstream Park’s turf course, and if anyone had any doubt about it, he went on and laid it to rest by winning on the venue’s turf course yet again for the
third time on the tort when he bagged an optional claimer there by a mere nose.
The Florida bred Dale Romans trainee, is already a three time graded stakes winner at Gulfstream Park and the Priscilla Vaccarezza owned gelding made his comeback to the races after eight and a half months and on his return he captured the 1 mile long optional
claimer against 9 other 3-year-old and above colts and geldings on 22 December, 2011.
The son of Spanish Steps, out of mare Hay Jude by Wavering Monarch, Little Mike was sent off as the 9 to 10 favourite to win the race.
Ridden by jockey Joe Bravo, Little Mike jumped on to the front of the lot in the start and set fractions of 24.13 seconds for the quarter mile, 47.90 seconds for the half mile and reached the six furlong marker in 1 minute and 10.76 seconds.
When he reached the mid stretch, Little Mike on the firm turf had an advantage of two lengths over the rest of the field, and into the final furlong the stalking Yankee Fortune pushed Little Mike more than he was in the entire race.
Little Mike held his own and pushed on a little further to cross the line in first place as Yankee Fortune finished second.
“It’s like sitting in a Ferrari, just sit back," Bravo said. "This is a special horse. I haven’t been on too many horses like this. He’s half human. He knows horses when they come to him, and he picks it up again. If they went around again, they weren’t
going to get by him. 

"For him to come off a layoff, and not quite be 100% and run a race like that, I can’t wait to see the rest of the year.”
Prior to the allowance claimer, Little Mike landed the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes and Grade 3 Canadian Turf Stakes, which now makes him 3 up in his last three starts.

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