Hushion has mixed emotions about The Lumber Guy's return

With Grade 1 winner The Lumber Guy set to make his comeback

in the restricted Chowder's First Stakes on Friday, trainer Michael Hushion

admits he has mixed emotions.

"I'm nervous first, excited second," said Hushion, who

conditions the homebred son of Grand Slam for Barry Schwartz.

The 6 1/2-furlong race is for New York-breds, three-years-old and

up, who haven't won a stakes in 2013. Last fall, The Lumber Guy won the Vosburgh at Belmont Park and was second by three-quarters of a length in the

Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

Following the Breeders' Cup,

Schwartz left The Lumber Guy in California with Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, but the colt finished non-threatening sevenths in both the Malibu and San Carlos at Santa Anita.

The Lumber Guy was given time off following his pair of

starts for Drysdale, returned to Hushion's barn in the spring and has been on

the worktab since July. Hushion said he was impressed with The Lumber Guy's

physical development.

"There are a lot of positive vibes from him," the horseman noted.

"They did a good job bulking him up on the farm. He came here looking

tremendous. I had been to the farm (about a week before he arrived at the

track), and my jaw dropped. It looked like a stallion show."

Hushion said he planned to originally run B Shanny in the

Chowder's First, but re-routed him to the August 17 Leon Reed Memorial Handicap at Finger Lakes so he wouldn't have to face The Lumber Guy. B Shanny won the

Leon Reed by 4 1/2 lengths.

"You think you're going over there (to Finger Lakes) and

(are going to win), but that doesn't always work," Hushion admitted. "Things

unfolded like we wanted them to. The perfect race for him was going to be the

(Chowder's First) for horses who have not won a sweepstakes, but we had to go to

Plan B with B Shanny."

Hushion added that Amberjack, whom he saddled to a second-place finish in the

Albany Stakes at Saratoga on Wednesday, emerged from his runner-up performance

behind Escapefromreality in good shape.

Had the chestnut son of Indygo Shiner won the Albany, he would have swept the

"Big Apple Triple" series and earned a $250,000 bonus. The sophomore captured

the first leg of the series, the Mike Lee, on June 1 at Belmont and followed up

with a 6 1/2-length triumph in the second leg, the New York Derby, at Finger

Lakes on July 20.

"I have no complaints about what happened in the race," Hushion said.

"(Jockey Junior) Alvarado did what he had to do. He didn't get in a speed duel

and he made it a two-horse race at the top of the lane. It was smart riding.

Unfortunately, we lost a two-horse race."

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