Jockey Ramon Dominguez rode Little Mike to win the Breeders' Cup Turf Grade I $3,000,000 Guaranteed race beating out Point of Entry on the final day of the 2012 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA., Saturday November 3, 2012. Little Mike was named Florida Horse of the Year. Little Mike was named after the owner's son Mike Vaccarezza, 10. Little Mike as trained at Crupis New Castle Farm in Marion County.
Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner
By Carlos E. Medina
Correspondent
Published: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 8:04 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 8:04 p.m.
After a breakout 2012 season, which saw him win three Grade 1 races, including the $3 million Breeders' Cup Turf Stakes, Little Mike earned another accolade recently when he was named Florida-bred Horse of the Year.
The 6-year-old gelding received the honor during an awards ceremony in Ocala, held Monday by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association.
In two weeks, Little Mike tries for another milestone as he vies for a piece of the $27 million up for grabs at the Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The gelding will likely start in either the $5 million Sheema Classic at 1? miles or the $5 million Duty Free at 1 1/8 miles on March 30. Both races are on the turf.
The gelding was being pointed to the $10 million World Cup, but a prep race over the synthetic surface of the Meydan Course on March 9 did not go well and those plans were scratched.
?I think he will do well there. We tried on the (synthetic) surface, but he didn't get a good ride so we decided to go back to the turf. But I want to see him try the synthetic before it's all over,? said Carlo Vaccarezza, who bred the horse, which was foaled in Ocala and broken at Crupi's New Castle Farm.
Little Mike, a son of Spanish Steps, earned more than $2.6 million in purses and won some of the more prestigious turf races in the country last year. He got off to a slow start early in his career. He didn't win his first race until his fifth try, but steadily improved through his third and fourth year, when he won two graded stakes at Gulfstream Park.
About halfway through last year, the gelding seemed to figure it out. He won the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day by more than two lengths as a 12-1 longshot.
He proved that race wasn't a fluke when he came back in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes at Hollywood Park in California a month later and finished a close third. Then, in August, he won the Grade 1 Arlington Million Stakes at Arlington Park in Illinois. That set him up for another trip back to the West Coast for the Breeders' Cup win at Santa Anita Park.
?He had a great year. It was well deserved. He was by far the best Florida horse this year,? Vaccarezza said.
He also still thinks the horse was the best in the country and should have won an Eclipse Award.
?He won the biggest races of the year at three different distances. Wise Dan (the eventual winner) won his turf races at a mile. There was no comparison,? he said. ?I was really upset at first, but I got over it,?
Little Mike's 2012 accomplishments had long coat tails as his dam, Hay Jude, was named broodmare of the year and his owner, Priscilla Vaccarezza, was named owner of the year.
The Florida breeder of the year award went to Ocala Stud for the third consecutive year.
Ocala Stud had five Florida-bred stakes winners in 2012, including Grade 1 winners Musical Romance and Turbulent Descent.
?It's been an unbelievable ride. It's really indescribable to be the leading breeder. We had a big stroke of luck here in the last couple of years. We've produced some nice horses. I wish I had the secret; we have some nice young mares and we breed them to nice horses and hope for the best,? said David O'Farrell, Ocala Stud farm manager.
The farm was established in the late 1950s and is one of the last remaining historic farms in Marion County.
?It takes a lot of work and we have an unbelievable staff. Everybody pitches in. It really takes a lot of effort to to raise these horses right,? he said.
Other winners Monday included:
* Champion older female; Champion female sprinter: Musical Romance
Breeder: Ocala Stud
Owners: Pinnacle Racing and William Kaplan
* Champion 2-Year-Old colt: Merit Man
Breeders: Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds and Stephen Barberino
Owners: Bruce Chandler, Double Kee LLC and Purple Shamrock Racing
* Champion 2-Year-Old filly: Verso a Verso
Breeders: Brent and Crystal Fernung and Dr. Phil Matthews
Owner: Frank Calabrese
* Champion 3-Year-Old colt: Fort Loudon
Breeder/Owner: Jacks Or Better Farm
* Champion 3-Year-Old filly: Eden's Moon
Breeder: Bridlewood Farm
Owner: Kaleem Shah
* Champion male sprinter: Coil
Breeder: Glen Hill Farm
Owners: Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram and Paul Weitman
* Champion turf female: Bay to Bay
Breeder: Adena Springs
Owner: Robert Smithen
* Stallion of the Year, leading juvenile sire: Put It Back
* Leading freshman sire: Circular Quay
* Needles Award: John and Carol Rio
* Joe O'Farrell Memorial Award: Thoroughstock consignors
Horse: Flat Out
* Leading Florida trainer by state-bred earnings: William Kaplan
* Leading Florida trainer by state-bred stakes wins: Stanley Gold
* Leading Florida trainer by state-bred wins: Kathleen O'Connell and Kirk Ziadie (tie)
Source: http://www.ocala.com/article/20130316/articles/130319725
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