Little Mike wires Turf; Hooh Why upsets F&M Turf

Little Mike has won four straight, and five of six, at Gulfstream Park (Adam Coglianese Photography) Priscilla Vaccarezza’s homebred Little Mike continued his love affair with the Gulfstream Park turf course by wiring Saturday’s $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Turf. Trained by Dale Romans and piloted by Joe Bravo, the 8-5 favorite enjoyed an uncontested lead, and had enough left to repel Slews Answer by three-quarters of a length. Little Mike has posted front-running wins in five of his last six starts, all at Gulfstream. The son of Spanish Steps emerged as a force early last year, through victories in a trio of Grade 3s — the Ft. Lauderdale, Canadian Turf and Appleton. The speedy gelding was sidelined for the next eight months by a condylar fracture, but picked up right where he left off in a December 22 allowance/optional claimer. If one were inclined to oppose Little Mike on Saturday, there was room for a nagging doubt. In his only previous attempt at the nine-furlong distance, he tired to sixth in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap last February. That, coupled with his barely lasting by a nose in his comeback over a flat mile, might have given cause for speculation. But Little Mike put paid to such theorizing.

Breaking on top, Little Mike strode comfortably while dictating fractions of
:23 3/5, :48 and 1:11 3/5. His nearest pursuer, Beckham Bend, wasn’t close
enough to apply any pressure, and beat a retreat turning for home. Likewise
calling it a day was 3-1 second choice Teaks North. The winner of last year’s
Gulfstream Park Turf and Grade 1 United Nations, Teaks North was in a good spot
just off the pace before coming up empty.

Slews Answer, never more than 2 1/2 lengths back, was the lone threat down
the lane. The 7-2 chance kept up his chase for the duration, and managed to
reduce the gap. It was not enough, however, to catch the winner. Little Mike,
who reached the mile mark in 1:34 2/5, finished up in a quick 1:45 4/5 and paid
$5.20, $3.20 and $2.80.

“He proved to me a long time ago that he won’t let another horse past him
without putting up one heck of a fight,” Bravo said. “He was the best horse in
the race and he showed it.”

“He’s a better horse this year than he was last coming back from the injury,”
Romans said. “I’ve always thought he could get the mile and an eighth, because
even though he runs on the front, he relaxes. I haven’t got anything in
particular picked out for him at this point. We’ll start talking about it
tomorrow.”

“I wish someone had gone on and softened him (Little Mike) up,” said Graham
Motion, trainer of Slews Answer, “but I was pleased with my horse. He ran
great.”

Bad Debt got up for third, another 1 1/2 lengths behind Slews Answer.
Livingston Street, Teaks North, Roman Tiger, Bell by the Ridge and Beckham Bend
completed the order under the wire. Allie’s Event, Blazen and Stay Red were all
scratched.

Little Mike, who now boasts a four-race winning streak, has earned $495,670
from his 15-9-2-0 line. The Florida-bred placed once from his first four starts
on dirt, but became a different horse on turf. Once switched to the grass, he
promptly won three straight, a skein snapped by a runner-up effort in the 2010
Monarch’s Maze at Aqueduct.

The five-year-old Little Mike is a half-brother to Grade 3-placed multiple
stakes winner Little Nick. They are out of the winning Hay Jude, by Wavering
Monarch.

Hooh Why is best known as a synthetic performer, but she’s now a two-time stakes winner on turf (Adam Coglianese Photography) The $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf didn’t turn out according to the betting forecast. Overlooked at 17-1, Hooh Why drove past the dueling pair of 3-2 favorite Romacaca and Speak Easy Gal to spring the surprise. Making the most of a stalking trip carved out by jockey John Velazquez, the six-year-old veteran sparked mutuels of $37.40, $11 and $7.60. At the same time, she advanced her record to 36-9-8-7, $943,172, reflecting five stakes victories and a dozen stakes placings. Hooh Why, whose signature win came in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes in 2009, is campaigned by the Estate of Gail Gee, Mark Hoffman and Earl Trostrud Jr. Hoffman is her trainer when she races at Woodbine, but she has been trained by several others in various locales, and this was her first start in the name of Shirley Girten-Drake. “I hauled her down here last night from Tampa,” Hoffman said. “She doesn’t go anywhere without me.”  Settled in fourth early, Hooh Why observed developments up front. Speak Easy Gal hustled to the lead through splits of :23 2/5, :47 3/5 and 1:11 2/5, pressed a fair amount of the time by Romacaca. Unbridled Humor, the 5-2 second choice, tracked in the garden spot in third.

Romacaca challenged Speak Easy Gal on the far turn, but the pacesetter
wouldn’t yield, and clung to a slim lead in midstretch. As Romacaca worked hard
to subdue her rival, Unbridled Humor and Hooh Why angled out to offer their
bids. While Unbridled Humor wasn’t able to raise her game, Hooh Why kicked on
strongly to score by 1 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:46 3/5 for 1 1/8 miles.

“It worked out absolutely perfectly,” John Velazquez said. “There was a good
pace in there and she settled really nicely. When I asked her turning for home,
she really responded well.” 

A three-way photo ensued for the minor awards. Romacaca earned the runner-up
spot by a neck from Speak Easy Gal, who in turn edged Unbridled Humor by a nose.

“I think we went just a little too fast,” jockey Paco Lopez said of his trip
aboard Romacaca. “My filly was a little keyed up in the beginning of the race
and she settled a little more down the backside. We were able to get past the
horse on the lead (Speak Easy Gal) but just couldn’t hold off the winner.”

“She (Unbridled Humor) ran great,” Motion said of the fourth-place finisher.
“To be honest, the mile and an eighth is probably a little too far for her. I
think we will give her a little break on the farm, Live Oak, and talk to Mrs.
(Charlotte) Weber to see where she’ll run next.”

There was a gap of 2 3/4 lengths back to Ventania in fifth, followed by
defending champion Trip for A.J., Zapparition, Romin Robin and Askbut I
Won’ttell.

Hooh Why has now won at least one stakes for four straight seasons. Aside
from the Ashland, in 2009 she also captured the La Lorgnette and missed narrowly
in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks and Sunshine Millions Oaks. The highlight of her
four-year-old campaign was a victory in the Grade 3 Seaway. Last year, Hooh Why
landed the distaffers’ division of the Illinois Owners Stakes, in just her
second career start on turf. She was coming off a solid second in the December
11 South Beach over this course.

Bred by Gee in Florida, the chestnut is by Cloud Hopping and out of the
unraced Corporate Report mare Magic Merger. Hooh Why, a full sister to Canadian
stakes scorer Rumbling Cloud, RNA’d for $325,000 at Keeneland this past
November.

“We were going to send her to the breeding shed,” Hoffman said, “but we
decided to try to have one more year of fun with her before that. I’ll take her
back to Tampa and turn her out for 10 days and then we’ll go from there.”