BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Little Thunder and Mad House, two of the three Florida-breds with Roll On Big Joe entered in Saturday’s $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Grade 2) at Keeneland Saturday, come out of strong placing’s in the Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix that indicate they are potential threats, both at long 30-1 morning odds.

An out-of-state victory in a Grade 1 by either Florida-bred will earn their breeders a $7,500 Export Incentive paid to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.

Mad House set the quick fractions of :21.67 and :44.68 on the rail in the six furlong Phoenix at Keeneland on October 2 while Little Thunder was a threatening third on the outside. Mad House, Booth and Little Thunder came off the turn three across the track then the two Florida-breds emerged together on the lead passing the eighth pole. Nakatomi came with a rush from last on the inside to spoil the Florida-bred exacta but Little Thunder and Mad House were noses apart in second and third respectively.

It was the first stakes appearance for Little Thunder, who is owned by breeder Thomas K. Equels of Ocala, trainer Timothy Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm in Morriston, Florida and Michael Iavarone, of Miami. It has been reported that Iavarone purchased a 40% portion of the 4-year-old gelding post sale after his 25% share was a $275,000 RNA at the Keeneland Championship auction Wednesday.

Last year, Iavarone bought a 25 percent share of Florida-bred Bentornato for $1 million at the same auction just before the ridgling son of Valiant Minister won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar.

Little Thunder was making his second start off a seven-month break in the Phoenix having just won a second condition, $80,000 optional claiming at Saratoga Race Course on September 7. In February, Little Thunder trounced a first condition, $16,000 optional claiming at Tampa Bay Downs in his third career start, winning by nearly eight lengths in 1:08.95, just .28 off the six-furlong track record.

Little Thunder goes into the Sprint having won three of five career starts with two seconds, earning $208,175. The Keeneland Sale was the second time he failed to meet his reserve, logging a $12,000 RNA as a yearling at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale in 2022 where he was consigned by Musketeers Equine.

Little Thunder is by Noble Bird out of Circular Rainbow, by Circular Quay and will get jockey John Velazquez for the third straight time. They have drawn post eight in the field of thirteen 3-year-olds and older entered.

Mad House looks to join a list of 60 Florida-breds with at least two starts in a Breeders’ Cup race having finished out of the money in last year’s edition of the Sprint at Del Mar.

Trained by David Van Winkle for James Thares, Mad House is a multiple graded stakes winner having won the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx last year and the Grade 3 Count Fleet Handicap, defeating Roll On Big Joe in second, at Oaklawn Park on April 11. 

Following the Count Fleet, he was fifth in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs on May 30 then fourth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar on July 25. He was given a little longer than two months off before coming back in the Phoenix.

Mad House is by Vekoma out of Stifled Heiress, by Munnings and was bred in Florida by Dr. Jean White of Reddick, Ciaran and Amy Dunne’s Wavertree Farm in Ocala and Steven Venosa’s SGV Thoroughbreds in Reddick. He sports earnings of $662,572 from six wins in 15 starts with one second and two thirds.

Thares picked him up for $47,000 out of the Wavertree consignment at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale.

Paco Lopez, who rode Mad House to victory in the Gallant Bob but has not been aboard since, gets the call at Keeneland Saturday and they get post one.

Florida-bred Roll On Big Joe makes his first start since second in the Aristides for trainer Bob Hess and will break from post 10. They too are listed at 30-1 on the morning line.

Julien Leparoux will ride the 6-year-old son of Prospective that was bred in Florida by Max Ubide of Ocala.

Rounding out the field are European invader Dark Saffron with Conner Beasley keeping the mount, Liam Smith will have Manny Franco in the saddle, Hymn has Ricardo Santana Jr. named in the program, jockey Emisael Jaramillo will get a leg up on Listenupshance, Japan-based American Stage will have Oisin Murphy aboard, Luis Saez has the assignment on Built, Nakatomi returns with Tyler Gaffalione in the irons, Japan’s T O Elvis has Ryusei Sakai riding, Flavien Prat captains Stradale, and Jose Ortiz has the controls on Englishman.

Return to the October 30 issue of Wire to Wire