Optimizer still hopeful for a run in the Kentucky Derby
The 3-year-old Bluegrass Hall owned colt, Optimizer, with no wins in any of the Kentucky Derby prep races, and most recently exiting a ninth place finish in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park to winner, Bodemeister, is still pointed toward
the Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby on 5 May, 2012, at Churchill Downs.
In 9 career starts so far, D. Wayne Lukas trained Optimizer once posted a victory and that too in his maiden special weight race on turf at Saratoga going over a distance of 1 1/16 miles on 6 August, 2011.
Since then, the Kentucky bred colt failed to post a single win, but the closest he came to winning was on two occasions. Right after breaking his maiden, Optimizer ran in the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes also over at Saratoga’s turf course at about 1
1/16 miles, where he finished second to winner State of Play on 1 September, 2011.
The second occasion was his penultimate race, the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes also run over a distance of 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park on 17 March, 2012.
It was a solid run, the best Optimizer has run so far, but the Bodemeister’s stable mate got the best of Optimizer by defeating the cot narrowly, with the winning time of 1 minute and 44.55 seconds.
The son of English Channel, out of mare Indy Pick by A. P. Indy, Optimizer has amassed $184,708 in graded stakes earnings, and currently sits on the list at 24. With 20 runners to start in the Kentucky Derby, Optimizer would need some defection to make it
to the Kentucky Derby gate on 5 May, 2012.
He can confirm his place and remove all doubts by participating in The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial on 28 April, 2012, at Churchill Downs, and if he goes on to win it, than the victory would guarantee a spot for Optimizer in the Derby, but Wayne Lukas denies
a start there.
“We’re not planning on going in the Derby Trial,” Lukas said. “We’ll either go with what we’ve got (graded stakes earnings) or we won’t go at all.”
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