by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — He’s received his fair share of ink recently, due to capturing six of his last eight races dating back to Thanksgiving week. Although Rockeyed Optimist’s connections are certainly thrilled with the headlines, just watching him perform brings an indescribable thrill.

“It was an absolute joy to watch him race last Saturday (Feb. 14) night,” said Steve Elliott, the gelding’s conditioner. “To see him come home in :25.4 like that was special.”

Elliott is referring to the 4-year-old’s facile victory in the $17,500 second leg of the Sonsam Series at the Meadowlands in 1:50.3.

By virtue of his recent form, Rockeyed Optimist is the 9-5 second choice on the morning line for the $59,000 Sonsam final on Saturday (Feb. 21). He will leave from post six with the red hot Brett Miller in the bike.

Lisa photo

Rockeyed Optimist will look to continue his recent hot streak in the Sonsam Series final at The Meadowlands.

“He really needed to mature,” Elliott said. “He’s a dark bay horse and his coat looked flat and dull. I’m big on taking blood and it appeared he might be bleeding internally. We put him on Lasix and he went backwards, so I thought we should just turn him out, let him work through what he needed to, then see where we stood. Right when he came back in his coat was shiny, almost black and his eye was bright. We did the right thing for him.”

A $10,000 buyback as a yearling, Rockeyed Optimist is by Rocknroll Hanover and out of the Artsplace mare Art Amour. Owned by Anthony Perretti, Virginia Berkner, A And B Stable and Joseph Battaglia, Rockeyed Optimist’s career did not commence with his engine fully revved up.

Conditioned by Sam DePinto as a 2-year-old, the gelding started three times, once in New Jersey Sire Stakes company and once in a $20,000 division of the Arden Downs before being shut down for the year. He managed to come home seventh in those stakes, with a fifth in an overnight race.

Rockeyed Optimist was then transferred to Elliott’s care for his sophomore season, broke his maiden in his first outing for the new barn in a $10,000 non-winners contest at the Meadowlands on May 24, 2014 and competed in eight races under roughly the same conditions at the same facility until a go in the $225,000 New Jersey Classic on August 2. He was eighth in that race and had compiled three wins, two seconds and two thirds prior to that contest. After that is when Elliott decided to turn him out.

“Despite his coat not looking right, he was a growthy horse,” he said. “He had not grown into himself yet, so I told the owners let’s turn him out, get him right and we should have a good 4-year-old.

“I would like to take the credit for changing something with him, but a good horse is a good horse. That always comes through as long we provide them with the opportunity. They are born that way. Our job is not to screw them up.”

The gelding qualified at the Meadowlands on Nov. 15, 2014 and then was fifth in his first start back on Nov. 21. Since then the full brother to BG’s Folly p,3,1:49.1 ($556,345) and half brother to D Mac p,4,1:50.2f ($211,090) has not been off the board.

“He really enjoys being out there racing,” Elliott said. “If you would have asked me several months ago, I never would have thought he would be out there cutting miles, but he feels so good right now; when you grab him up he just wants to keep going. Timmy (Tetrick) told me after he drove him he is the perfect horse to drive. He’s two fingers, he is so versatile and is willing.”

As far as the rest of the season goes, Elliott has a plan mapped out for Rockeyed Optimist if all factors involved cooperate.

“The goal is to have an outstanding free-for-aller next year,” he said. “He’s only four and because he has come around so well there is the always the temptation to put him in a lot of stakes. Thankfully, the owners appreciated how I felt about him and we are not going to over race him.

“After this final he will have a week off, go into another series here at the Meadowlands, then maybe one more and we have him in the Graduate because it’s just for 4-year-olds. Then he will get a break and we will go from there.

“I don’t want to knock his confidence down or break his heart going against some of those older horses. There are so many things you can not control in this business, but as long as we keep him happy, he will keep making us happy.”