High hopes abound in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas
for Optimizer, a debut winner on
Saturday who took a 1 1/16-mile grass race by a neck in 1:42.67 under jockey
Robby Albarado.
The bay colt is by freshman sire English Channel, the Champion Turf Male
of 2007, who won his debut on the exact same course, distance and day –
August 6, 2004 – in 1:42.42. It was the first debut winner on the grass
for Lukas in more than five years.
Optimizer will now be pointed toward the Grade 2, $150,000 With
Anticipation for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the grass on September 1,
according to Lukas assistant Will VanMeter. If all goes well, the colt will
then head to the Grade 3 Bourbon at Keeneland and then the G2 Breeders’
Cup Juvenile Turf.
“Like Wayne
says, treat them all like champions, and let them disappoint you,”
VanMeter said.