He was already assured of a personal award this weekend in South Florida so Mike Micallef made sure he added to the celebrations with a big night on the track on Saturday evening at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park
. His biggest accomplishment was a victory in the $14,000 purse top class handicap feature with Dragons Blood.
"The decision to claim Dragons Blood was made late last year by his co-owner, Lew Whitaker, and he's had a really steady winter for us," Micallef said. "Lately he hasn't been able to show his best because I wasn't able to get to the front. Tonight I was and he responded great," Micallef said of the eight-year-old Dragon Again-Canaco Model gelding, co-owned by his wife Anita.
After Bruce Ranger established command at the quarter with Sugars Pride, Micallef had Dragons Blood on the move from fourth to seize the lead before the half of :55.3. In the third quarter, Dragons Blood was under pressure but disposed of the first over move of Drive All Night, in rein to George Napolitano Jr., at the final turn in 1:23.2. When the wire arrived in 1:51.3, Dragons Blood had a head to spare over the hard closing Disco Dragon, with Wally Hennessey in tow, and Sports Fanatic, driven by Doug Brown.
It was the third win in 11 starts for Dragons Blood in 2011 and his 30th career tally.
A striking visual of the third quarter action was captured by track photographer Skip Smith. He captured the field passing under the brightest full moon over Florida in the past 18 years, in the third race feature.
On Sunday evening, Micallef will be toasted along with several category winners at the annual awards dinner hosted by the Florida chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA). The 38-year-old horseman from Michigan has earned recognition as the best newcomer to the Florida scene for the 2010-11 season. In the bike he's reined in 43 winners for over $300,000 in purses. From 90 training starts in Florida, Micallef has harnessed 15 winners for purse earnings of $110,000 in the past six months.
"It wasn't totally my idea to come to Florida, my principal owner Lew Whitaker [of Boynton Beach, Florida] strongly recommended that I come here and now I'm glad I did," Micallef said. "After I left the Michigan and Windsor circuit we moved to New York. It was good to me but I was on the road for over 1,500 miles most weeks there. This is a big lifestyle improvement. I trained a couple of two-year-olds over the winter so I'll be at this Pompano meet until May and then I'll face a decision on whether to go north with them," he added.
(Pompano Park)