Powerful debut for 2YO

MIAMI - Einar Robsham paid $200,000 for Trust N Luck at the Ocala March sales. After Trust N Luck's impressive performance to capture his career debut on Saturday, his trainer, Ralph Ziadie, said: "It looks like this horse is worth every penny he paid for him."

On a sloppy track, Trust N Luck made all the pace, turning back a bid from the more experienced Lawbook to post a one-length victory. His final time of 1:05.42 for 5 1/2 furlongs was exceptional considering the condition of the track.

"This colt never worked over a wet track in the morning and he tends to be a little chicken sometimes, although he seems to be getting a little better about that," Ziadie said.

Trust N Luck is eligible for the Florida Stallion Series and Ziadie says he plans to point him for the opening leg, the $75,000 Dr. Fager Stakes on Aug. 10.

"I'll probably try to get another race into him before the Dr. Fager," said Ziadie.

Trust N Luck is the latest in a series of fast 2-year-olds Ziadie has campaigned for Robsham here over the past several summers. Among the others are stakes winner Silk Concorde and the speedy Concorde's Appeal.

There may be another on the way.

"Mr. Robsham has another colt that he bred himself, a half- brother to Silk Concorde who is as good as this one," said Ziadie. "But he came down with a minor problem, nothing serious, and we decided to send him back to the farm for now."

While Trust N Luck may be the newest star in Ziadie's barn, the oldest, 9-year-old Sir Bear, worked a half-mile in 49 seconds around the dogs on a sloppy track Saturday. It was his first serious move since he bled during the Hawthorne Gold Cup on May 18.

"He went in hand and I was very happy with the work," said Ziadie, who said he might enter Sir Bear in the Americana Handicap on July 4 and start him if the race were to be taken off the turf.

* Saturday's second race, a $40,000 optional claiming race, was taken off the grass, preventing Unite's Big Red from getting in a prep for the Americana. Unite's Big Red was one of three scratches in the race, along with Simmer and Viva Pentelicus.

Wertz bounced back from a disappointing effort in his last start to win the second race, his second straight try on dirt. Wertz set a contested pace and withstood the closing bid of Dancing Guy.