Trainer Blusiewicz has two runners for Wood Memorial card

Trainer Leon Blusiewicz has seen a lot in his years around the racetrack, and at age 86 still has a passion for the game. On the Wood Memorial card Saturday, he plans to run Tom Fool winner Spartiatis in the Grade 1 Carter and Admiral Blue, whom he owns, in the Grade 3 Excelsior.

Spartiatis, winner of five of 31 starts, is in the best form of his career at age 7. He rallied from off the pace to score his first stakes win in the Grade 3 Tom Fool on March 11.

According to Blusiewicz, Spartiatis almost died last fall from a virus. He has won two of his four starts since recovering.

"The reason he's doing so well now is because of patience," Blusiewicz said. "I got him a goat last spring and that has helped him a lot, calmed him down. He's in the right frame of mind now and is a happy horse. I've always known he had ability, it was just trying to find how to get it out of him."

Blusiewicz has studied bloodlines for many years and manages the mares of his longtime client, C.P. Beler, the owner of Spartiatis. He planned the breeding of Spartiatis, a son of Scat Daddy, and trained Admiral Alex, the sire of Admiral Blue.

Blusiewicz said he has arranged the matings of four Grade 1 winners: Spectacular Love, Will's Way, Willa On the Move, and the 1983 champion filly or mare Ambassador of Luck.

"The game's been good to me," he said.

Blusiewicz said that if the track is wet Saturday, he will likely scratch Spartiatis and may shift Admiral Blue from the Excelsior to the seven-furlong Carter.

"He can't stand up in the stuff," Blusiewicz said of Spartiatis's ability on an off track.

The favorite in the $400,000 Carter will be Unified, who races for Centennial Farms and is trained by Jimmy Jerkens. Others pointing to the race are Awesome Banner, Green Gratto, King Kranz, and Tommy Macho.

Admiral Blue will be a longshot in the 1 1/4-mile Excelsior. He weakened to finish fifth last time out at 12-1 in the Stymie.

"We lost some time with him before his last start," Blusiewicz said. "He'll run a whole lot better Saturday."

The probables for the $150,000 Excelsior include Discreet Lover, Doyouknowsomething, Hereditary, Send It In, and Tu Brutus.