Michael Martinez

Born: May 20, 1946, Havana, Cuba
Residence: East Lyme, Conn., where he lives on Victoria Farm
Family: wife Patti; children Molly, Jane, Michael, Alyson and Carin; four granddaughters
Education: B.A. in history from Southern Connecticut State University, where he also did postgraduate studies in political science. Earned an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven
Professional Background: He is an entrepreneur who is currently in the home building business in Connecticut
Racing Background: “When I was a little boy in Cuba, we had a farm with lots of horses,” he said. “My mother, who was an attorney, always loved horses. My father, who also was an attorney, loved to go to the racetrack. We had quite the track in Havana back in those days. So I inherited my love of horses and racing.”… After Fidel Castro came to power, Martinez arrived in this country as an unaccompanied minor in 1961. He was sent to an orphanage in New Orleans until he could later be reunited with his parents
Breeding/Racing Operation: Has been in the breeding and racing business since 1986 ... He mostly boards horses at Victoria Farm while his breeding business is based in New York … About Breeders' Cup Sprint prospect Commentator: “I bought a beautiful little Storm Bird filly because I thought she had a great pedigree, and I also wanted to race her,” he said. “But her conformation would not allow me to race her. So I bred her to Distorted Humor because I liked the match, and that’s how Commentator came to be. Commentator is my superstar, and this is the highlight of my racing career.” … Commentator also has provided therapy for his breeder, who underwent emergency heart bypass surgery in 2001. “I had to sell most of my Thoroughbred operation for health reasons,” Martinez said. “Commentator has given me a tremendous uplift. He is confirmation that I am on the right track and doing the right thing in this business.”… Commentator, who was being pointed toward the 2005 Classic and 2006 Sprint before being sidelined by injury, will be Martinez's first Breeders' Cup starter ... Though the gelding finished off the board in the Sprint, he still races as a 7-year-old, recently winning the G2 Richter Scale, boosting his earnings to nearly $1 million.