Thursday’s card at Gulfstream Park featured wire-to-wire victories by a pair
of graded stakes winners. Priscilla Vaccarezza’s Little Mike, a three-time Grade
3 hero on turf here last meet, successfully returned from an eight-month layoff
in the
7TH race over a grassy mile, while Fred and trainer Buff Bradley’s homebred
Groupie Doll rolled in the
10TH race going the same distance on dirt.
The Dale Romans-trained Little Mike, who had not raced since capturing the
Grade 3 Appleton on April 3, was sent off as the 4-5 choice. Under Joe Bravo,
the front-running gelding showed the way through fractions of :24, :47 4/5 and
1:10 3/5.
Little Mike opened up by two lengths in midstretch, but fellow multiple Grade
3 scorer Yankee Fourtune struck top gear inside the final furlong. Rallying
boldly, Yankee Fourtune erased the deficit, but the game pacesetter held on by a
nose. Little Mike stopped the teletimer in 1:34 3/5 on the firm course and
returned $3.80, $2.80 and $2.40.
Yankee Fourtune was himself 2 1/2 lengths clear of Allie’s Event, a closing
third. At the rear of the eight-horse field came multiple Grade 1 veteran
Telling, who trailed throughout in his first start off a layoff for new trainer
David Fawkes.
Little Mike’s victorious comeback improved his record to 14-8-2-0, $405,670.
The four-year-old son of Spanish Steps is now four-for-five in 2011, having
landed the Grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale and Grade 3 Canadian Turf prior to the
Appleton. His only loss this year was a sixth in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park
Turf Handicap, where he couldn’t quite last nine furlongs.
Romans had previously indicated a title defense in the January 14 Ft.
Lauderdale is under consideration, along with the Florida Sunshine Millions Turf
on January 28.
Three races later, Groupie Doll got jockey Calvin Borel’s meet off to a
flying start with her 2 1/2-length decision over optional claiming rivals. Happy
to be back on dirt after winding up seventh in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere on
Churchill Downs’ turf, the 6-5 favorite carved out splits of :24 4/5, :47 1/5
and 1:10 2/5 on the fast track.
Persuading raced in second every step of the way and tried to keep up down
the stretch, but Groupie Doll was too strong. The winner drew off with authority
in a final time of 1:35 1/5, paying $4.60, $2.60 and $2.10.
Borel, who traditionally has wintered at Oaklawn Park, just started riding at
Gulfstream Thursday.
“I think I’m going to have a fun, nice and chilling-out meet,” Borel said.
“I’ve got a few two-year-olds that I like with Ian Wilkes and Buff. I have some
different people to ride for, so we’re going to take a shot.”
The 45-year-old reinsman was naturally pleased to open his account on his
first day in the saddle.
“It feels good,” Borel said. “I got to ride a couple and win this one
(Groupie Doll). She’s a really nice filly. I want to thank Buff and his dad for
giving me an opportunity to ride this filly.
“I knew she could run, but I didn’t know how good she was. She’s a nice
filly, incredible.”
A three-year-old daughter of Bowman’s Band, Groupie Doll has progressed
rapidly since breaking her maiden at Churchill in June. She scored her signature
win in the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park in August and has finished
runner-up in the Charles Town Oaks and the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes over
Keeneland’s Polytrack. Her resume now reads 8-4-2-0, $272,536.
“We just wanted to get her going over this track and she how she’d do,” Buff
Bradley said. “Calvin’s worked her several times before now, and I’m just glad
to him on her and get a race into her. We’ve been happy with her since we got
here.
“Now we can look to the rest of the winter with her. She can do anything.
She’s run on anything. She just had a bad trip last time (in the Mrs. Revere).
“I really think she can run on grass, but right now we’ll keep her on the
dirt. She’s beaten some pretty nice three-year-old fillies, and I did win the
Grade 3 Gardenia against older fillies with her.
“My father and I are happy. We bred her and raised her, so it’s a little more
sentimental for us to have a horse like this. We’re excited.”