Posted on June 18, 2026 by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager
Captain Optimistic won in 1:46.4 last week at the Meadowlands. Lisa Photo.
Hightstown, NJ – Captain Optimistic has gotten his 4-year-old season off to a fast start. Literally.
The son of Captaintreacherous-Cinamony, who has divided his time this year between stallion duty and racing, paced the season’s fastest mile to date this past Friday at the Meadowlands, where he stopped the timer in 1:46.4 in a second-round division of the Graduate Series for 4-year-olds.
It was his second victory in three starts this year, with his first triumph coming in 1:48.1 in an Open Handicap on May 17 at Harrah’s Philadelphia. That time, in Captain Optimistic’s seasonal debut, equaled the track record for 4-year-old pacing horses. In between those wins, he finished a dead-heat second in the SendItIn Invitational on May 24 at Philly. Scott Zeron was in the sulky for trainer Nancy Takter in the two most recent starts after Jason Bartlett drove Captain Optimistic in the opener.
