Vaccarezza maps out campaign for Little Mike

Vaccarezza maps out campaign for Little Mike

"If he's ready, we may run him in an allowance on (March 29) or the following

Sunday just to give him a race, and go a mile or mile and a sixteenth. The goal

is to go to the Woodford Reserve and then continue the same path that we took a

year ago and, hopefully, back to the Breeders' Cup."

Though he has been involved in the Thoroughbred industry for more than three

decades as a breeder, breaker and owner, Vaccarezza finds himself on a new path

after taking over the training of his horses in December from Dale

Romans.

The famed restaurateur sold most of his eateries but still owns and operates

Frank & Dino's in Deerfield Beach, which is hosting a benefit for the

Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund beginning at 6 p.m. (EST) on March 31.

Cost for the event is $150 per person or $2,000 to sponsor a table for 10

guests. The price includes dinner, entertainment and a silent auction, with

proceeds going to the PDJF. Patrons are asked to R.S.V.P. by March 28 at

954-427-4909.

"I used to have a big farm in Ocala and I was breaking horses for Mr. (George)

Steinbrenner, rest in peace," Vaccarezza said. "We had a lot of good clients,

but breaking horses on a farm in Ocala is a completely different environment

than being a trainer at the racetrack. I sold the restaurant and I had the time

to do it.

"I talked to Dale and said we should bring some horses here for the summer. He

said OK, and the horses that came down were my horses, eight or nine of them. I

was here at 4 o'clock in the morning every morning and Dale said, 'You're there,

I'll help you out. You should do it.' I took the test again and got my license

back, and here I am."

Vaccarezza has a dozen horses stabled in barn 14 on the Gulfstream backstretch

opposite 84-year-old Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens, and another 12 at J.J.

Crupi's New Castle Farm in Ocala.

"I'm blessed to haven Allen in my barn. It's like going to Harvard University

without paying tuition," Vaccarezza said. "He's an icon and he's such a

wonderful person, just a wonderful human being. Every morning he tells you

something that I would never think in a million years. He makes a lot of sense

and by the same token he'll tell you, 'Listen, sometimes this is a guessing

game.'"

Vaccarrezza's first two wins as a trainer came with three-year-old fillies making

their career debuts at Gulfstream: Little Alexis on February 9 and Little Michelle

on February 21. Owned by his wife, Little Michelle returned to the races Friday and

finished third in a $48,750 optional claimer.

Little Alexis was a winner by 1 3/4 lengths at odds of 23-1 in her first start,

running 5 1/2 furlongs on the main track in 1:02.85, not far from the course

record of 1:02.34 set by Discreet Dancer in 2011. Though he has big aspirations, Vaccarezza is staying patient with the daughter of Mr. Greeley.

"Alexis is a very classy filly and I want to take my time with her. I don't want

to rush her," he said. "She's a filly that can be in the (Kentucky) Oaks. I

can see her soon in a big race. She has a lot of quality. She likes to go long

and she's probably going to run good going two turns.

"I had a lot of hopes for

her when I bought her and sent her to Crupi in Ocala. He told me, 'Listen, she's

something special.' When Dale was training for me I sent her to him in Kentucky

and he said she was the real deal. If you hear that from those guys, they know

much more than I do."

Romans remains with Vaccarezza as a consultant in Little Dreams Racing, an

ownership group they founded along with veteran owner John Williams in the

spring of 2013. The partnership offers investors the chance to own horses for as

little as one percent of the purchase price.

Little Alexis was purchased for $32,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September yearling

sale on behalf of Little Dreams, and earned $24,000 in her debut win. Little

Michelle brought $2,000 at the same sale, and banked $23,400 for her

win.

"It's basically the same thing as Little Mike, a rags to riches story,"

Vaccarezza said. "Little Alexis I bought for $32,000, and she could be anything.

The other filly was a $2,000 purchase, and she won really impressively. That's a

good sign, and it sends a great message to the people that want to participate

that you don't necessarily have to buy a million-and-a-half, two million-dollar

horse to have fun and have a runner."

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