“It's really a blessing to have such a well-bred horse here,” said Frank Taylor. “She's got a great attitude and she is strong and healthy. Everything is going great so far. The mare is by Liam's Map, who is a half-brother to Not This Time. Those are two of the best horses we ever raised, so it's really exciting to have this filly on the farm.”

Bred by Fred W. Hertrich III, Juju's Map was a $300,000 Keeneland September purchase for the Albaugh family. She broke her maiden in her second start for Brad Cox and went on to claim the 2021 GI Darley Alcibiades S. and run second to Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. A winner and three times graded stakes placed at three, Juju's Map was sent through the ring at the Keeneland November Sale in 2022, but she RNA'd for $1.9 million and stayed with the Albaugh family.

Taylor said the mating of Flightline and Juju's Map produced a good blend of both Grade I-caliber horses.

“The filly has the looks of Flightline, but she also has some of the mare,” he explained. “The mating matches up well physically and pedigree-wise, and you're just breeding the best to the best and hoping for the best.”

Taylor added that Juju's Map will visit Curlin in 2024.

Sara Gordon

As for the foal, Taylor hypothesized that for now, it's a coin toss as to whether the youngster would one day see the sales ring or race in the Albaugh silks. The filly's broodmare sire and his family carry a well-known story on just that subject.

“We had Liam's Map here as a yearling and the Albaughs really never sold many of their horses,” Taylor recalled. “He was by Unbridled's Song and he was the best yearling on the farm, so we talked them into selling him. He brought $800,000 and we were all very excited about the way he sold until he won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and they syndicated him for a lot more than $800,000. Then fast forward and Mr. Albaugh was back here and we were showing him the Giant's Causeway colt out of same mare and we said, 'Man, this one could bring maybe $1 million or $2 million.' His response was,' Not this time.'”

Not This Time, who was runner-up in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile for Dennis Albaugh and his family, stands for $150,000 this year as a fifth-crop sire at Taylor Made and is now embarking on a career as a sire of sires with 3-year-old champion Epicenter beginning his second year at Ashford Stud and MGISW Up to the Mark debuting at Lane's End.

Plenty of superbly bred horses will hit the ground at Taylor Made in the coming weeks, but Taylor said there is no denying that having the first foal by a horse like the undefeated Flightline–who stood for $200,000 and covered 152 mares in his debut season–is a special honor.

“You dream about these horses become great racehorses and this filly is really bred to go a distance, so maybe someday we'll see her in the Oaks,” he said. “That'd be a dream come true.”

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“Against the house,” he says. “Had to talk my wife into that. Then I bought an old tanker and, my first trip out, I loaded up with chemicals headed for South Dakota. And all the way up there I'm thinking, 'Hey, this is really a good truck.' It just runs a little better all the way up. I get there, I get out, and it's empty. The seals got eaten up, en route, and I'd dumped the whole load. It happened to be a weed killer, so didn't hurt anything.”

“Except kill all the weeds all the way up to South Dakota,” interjects his son-in-law, Jason Loutsch, with a chuckle.

“So I get home that next day and my wife said, 'How'd your first delivery go?' 'Well, not so good. I just put $7,600 of the $10,000 on the road, and I don't have any invoice out.' So it was a rough start.”

That was 1979. Albaugh was in his late 20s and, within a couple of years, they had two infant daughters to feed as well.

“But you just kept at it,” he says with a shrug. “About '93, I bought out my biggest competitor and put the two companies together. After that we started growing real fast. And today we sell in 44 countries, we're manufacturing in nine, and we're the ninth biggest agricultural chemicals company in the world.”

So if he could achieve that in his business life, after such an unpromising start, then where might Albaugh take a racing program which, as we'll remind ourselves in a moment, could hardly have started more auspiciously? Well, we saw one answer to that last May, when Albaugh Family Stable achieved something quite incredible. From just 12 of the 10,000 eligible colts in the 2020 foal crop, no fewer than three made the gate for the GI Kentucky Derby, including the strong-finishing third. And the next cycle has started pretty well, too, with Catching Freedom (Constitution) laying down an early Derby marker in the Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn on New Year's Day.

Okay, so Miss Macy Sue was not the very beginning of the family's Turf adventure. First, in 2003, Loutsch put five grand into a gelding with a buddy at Prairie Meadows. They won a few small races, even placed in a stakes for Iowa-breds. It was a lot of fun, and Loutsch's father-in-law became interested.

“So when's he going to run again?” Albaugh asked.

“Oh, these horses only run every three or four weeks.”

“Well, let's get some more.”

And so, yes, after that the first meaningful play was a half-share in a Trippi filly for $42,000 at OBS in June 2005. They named her Miss Macy Sue for Albaugh's granddaughter, put her into training with Kelly Von Hemel, and she won a maiden at Hawthorne a few months later. The next year, she proved one of the quicker young sprinters on the local circuit, picked up some black-type at Prarie Meadows, Mountaineer.

But then, with maturity, she got on a serious roll. She won a listed race at Oaklawn, then a Grade III at Churchill. At the end of the year, they found themselves contesting the inaugural GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Monmouth, and she came through traffic out of the one hole to grab third.

“She just kept going around the country winning,” Albaugh marvels. “Our first big involvement in the horse business. That horse spoiled us! And after a year or two, I was telling Jason, 'Let's get into this more.'”

Albaugh met Jerry Crawford on a plane one day and they talked about putting together a partnership to buy some colts. Under the Donegal Racing umbrella, Albaugh took 30% of one by El Prado (Ire) with Dale Romans. Paddy O'Prado ran third in the 2010 Derby before switching to grass and winning the GI Secretariat S.

On the racetrack, then, Albaugh was getting all the beginner's luck that had eluded him on that first truck ride to South Dakota. He decided to ride the wave, and suggested that Loutsch should manage a stable for the family in its own right. Duncan Taylor came up to Iowa and listened to the business plan, gave them a couple of names. Barry Berkelhammer of AbraCadabra Farm was one, and he has become a key player in selecting stock and then supervising their education in Florida. But Albaugh certainly meant business. Albeit the market was less demanding at that time, he wanted to pitch for 10 to 12 colts annually with a feasible Derby profile.

Yet it would turn out that the keystone had been in place all along. Albaugh had bought out his partner in Miss Macy Sue, so that he could retain her as a broodmare.

“We were up at Toronto, a very cold day,” Albaugh recalls. “And I said to Kelly, 'When will we know that we need to take this horse over to be a mother?' And he said, 'She'll tell us.' I'm like, 'Yeah?' Sure enough, that same day, at the end of the race [third as favorite], Kelly said, 'Look, it's like I said. She told us. It's time to breed her.'”

“She gave us everything,” Loutsch says. “Every race, she ran hard. She won our first graded stakes, won the Presque Isle Masters when it was worth $400,000. Her heart was so big. Every time she'd give full effort. Kelly said she'd run on glass. She was such a sound horse, too. Never an injury, never needed a surgery or any time off. And I think that's really carried over to her offspring.”

Albaugh rewarded Miss Macy Sue with some generosity of his own, sending her first to A.P. Indy and then to Unbridled's Song, at the time standing at $250,000 and $115,000, respectively. Her A.P. Indy filly managed a single start, but her Unbridled's Song colt brought $800,000 at the 2012 Keeneland September sale.

A developing program couldn't turn down seedcorn like that. Only he then turned out to be none-other-than Liam's Map. As they watched him earn a lucrative career at stud, Albaugh and his team vowed that Miss Macy Sue's latest yearling–a colt by Giant's Causeway–would not be sold at any price. And that, of course, is how he got his name.

“At the time, we were very excited to get $800,000,” Loutsch recalls. “We were just starting in the business, and that was a nice check.”

“Oh yeah, we were jumping up and down,” Albaugh agrees. “I was very happy. But after seeing all the success he had, and what he made to go to stud, we said about the next one: Not This Time.”

Unfortunately, the colt by the Iron Horse out of an iron mare derailed with an injury just as he was getting started. He'd won the GIII Iroquois S. by nine lengths and ran Classic Empire to a neck at the Breeders' Cup after giving him a start, the pair miles clear of Practical Joke.

“That was one of the fastest Juveniles ever,” Loutsch says. “And we just went out wide on the last turn. It was so close. We saw what a special talent he was that day.”

“But then we got the call from Dale Romans that he was done racing,” Albaugh remembers. “Today, of course, we're very happy with what he's doing in the stallion barn. But this business is high and lows and that was certainly a low moment.”

Not This Time started out with TaylorMade at just $15,000, but has now soared to 10 times that fee, with five Grade I winners from his first three crops.

“I think what's really great is that they're so versatile,” Loutsch remarks. “They're short, they're long. Dirt, turf. He's had Sibelius win the Group 1 over six on dirt in Dubai; Epicenter caught at the wire when it looked like he had the Derby won; and now Up to the Mark going from a mile to a mile and a half on grass. So I think Not This Time is just like his sire. Giant's Causeway got all types, and I think that's what he's throwing out too.”

Classic Empire nearly redeemed his debt to the Albaugh team in the Derby last year, his son Angel Of Empire closing from 10th to third in the stretch. Simply to have three horses earn the necessary starting points, however, was itself astonishing.

“One of them only got cleared [to run] on the day,” Albaugh recalls. “You hate to see that, for someone to have to pull a horse out of a Kentucky Derby. But we figured the odds, oh, it was in the thousands. We had to go way back to the '30s to find somebody else that had three runners, and then it was a partnership of many people.”

If nothing else, their feat showed the merit of focus. Because this whole program is oriented to precisely those two minutes at Churchill on the first Saturday in May. (And by the way, while they don't wish to dwell on a negativity that disappoints them in the industry, Albaugh and his family are adamant that those two minutes would not hold the same mystique on a synthetic surface).

“The Derby, in my opinion, is the best race in the whole world,” Albaugh declares. “It's the one that we have our targets set on, every year. You come into that March, April timetable and try to figure out which of all these prep races you want to be in, and you move the horses around, New York or Miami, Fair Grounds or Oaklawn.”

“The next Kentucky Derby is going to be No. 150, so there have only been 149 winners that anyone could own,” Loutsch says. “We feel it's such a prestigious event, like the Masters in golf. This is our Super Bowl. So, yes, that's our goal: someday we want to win that thing. And we were so close last time. Going into the gate with the favorite, it was a special feeling. And he gave us a thrill. I've always wanted to know what that must feel like, having a chance to win the Kentucky Derby as they're running down the lane. And 'Angel' gave us that.”

The Pennsylvania-bred had been found for just $70,000 deep in the Keeneland September sale, where the stable had also recruited its two other Derby shots, Jace's Road for $510,000 and Cyclone Mischief for $450,000, both from Book 1.

“September is pretty much the sale we shop at every year,” Loutsch explains. “And since 2015, when Dennis came up with this program to buy colts to get to the Derby, I think we've had 10 horses that have made it across six different years. So our strike-rate has been good, and we have a great team that helps us get to our goal.

“With Angel, we'd left the sale and felt like we were a colt or two short of where we wanted to be. So I asked Dennis if I could just spend $75,000-100,000, looking for something in Book 4 or 5 with the pedigree to get two turns. And from there it's all just luck, obviously. But he was a big, rangy, good-looking colt that just fell through the cracks and it worked out for us.”

The latest to rekindle the dream, Catching Freedom, was a Book 1 find at $575,000.

“That's our sweet spot, the four-to-six range,” Loutsch says. “That's where we gravitate to.”

Catching Freedom started his career at Churchill in the fall, winning on debut before meeting heavy traffic in an allowance race. He evidently learned from that experience, weaving through the field in the Smarty Jones, albeit still green as he organized himself on the outside to kick clear in the stretch.

Angel of Empire won the same race last year and their trainer Brad Cox sounds inclined to stay on the same route with Catching Freedom, with the GII Risen Star S. as a potential springboard to the GI Arkansas Derby.

Whatever that colt can do next, Albaugh Family Stable continues to consolidate. It would have been more typical of our business for Not This Time, retained after his sibling became a star, to have turned out a dud. As it is, he's brought a whole new dimension to the adventure. For a start, there were the 10 mares acquired at the 2017 Keeneland January sale to launch his stud career, including one that was sold on carrying his first Grade I winner, Princess Noor. And now the program that took the risk of keeping Not This Time is finding itself close to self-sufficiency, thanks to his growing stud revenue.

“I'm excited,” Loutsch says. “Dennis has obviously put a lot of money into this business, so it's great that he will finally get to reap the benefits and get a nice check every year instead of just putting more in. We've just been very patient, stayed with the plan, and it's ended up working out.”

When things do go well, it's even better with family. But when you get the inevitable tougher days, well, those are better, too. So even when Angel of Empire flew too late in the Derby last year, they knew to savor even a bittersweet experience.

“It was tough because you always have the 'what ifs'?” Loutsch acknowledges. “What if he'd come inside? All these questions you ask yourself, because how many times do you think you're going to be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby? I mean, that might be our only time ever. So the one thing that we made sure of was that we had a fun week. It was always the same, right back to Miss Macy Sue. Of course we like to win, but it's also about all those fun places she took us, as a family, just hanging out and experiencing the whole atmosphere together.”

“She's still living a good life,” Albaugh stresses of the mare who started it all. “We quit breeding her about three years ago, she'd lost a couple of babies and we weren't going to put her through that anymore. We did think about bringing her to Iowa, so we could see her more often. But we get ice in winter, and she wouldn't want that. But what's neat is that when we come to Kentucky, we can look up the hill and see where Macy's at. And then, right below, in the stallion barn we've got her son.”

Which is just as it should be: a family stable. Few programs are registered that way, and there's no mistaking the genuine, intergenerational bond achieved by this one. The husband of Albaugh's oldest granddaughter, for instance, is not just working for the chemicals company, but also enthusiastically embracing the racing. Likewise Mick, the brother who stayed on at the farm when Albaugh went out into the world.

“The whole family are in it,” Albaugh says. “My brother, my daughters, everyone. The one problem is that when we go to one of these big races, we have more than a plane load. We have to run a plane back and forth two or three times to get them all there. But it's a lot of fun to have them all sat down together–especially when you get down to that winner's circle.”

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Unbeaten GII Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), an $800,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream breezer, will carry the famed orange-and-purple colors of Spendthrift Farm while making just his fourth career start in the 149th GI Kentucky Derby.

“Our primary business really is standing stallions, but when we can go to a sale and get a horse that has a shot to make it to the stud barn, that's what we're trying to do,” Spendthrift's General Manager Ned Toffey said. “And winning a race like the Derby is obviously a big step in the right direction if you want to stand a stallion. Kingsbarns has done everything we've asked of him so far and he's done it nicely.”

Spendthrift Farm's all-conquering stallion Into Mischief, responsible for Friday's GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), will have three chances at a third bouquet of roses with longshots Cyclone Mischief (Into Mischief), Rocket Can (Into Mischief) and Sun Thunder (Into Mischief).

Into Mischief's Authentic, of course, won the 2020 Kentucky Derby for a high-profile partnership headed by Spendthrift Farm. Into Mischief is also the sire of Mandaloun, who was promoted to first via Medina Spirit's well-documented medication disqualification in the following year's Derby.

“That's what breeders are looking for, to get to the Derby,” Toffey said. “Into Mischief can get you any kind of horse. He's an amazing horse and continues to get the job done.”

What do you think Mr. Hughes would say if he were still around to see this day?

“I think Wayne would be saying 'I told you so,'” Toffey said with a big laugh.

“I literally remember him saying, 'I think we might have Bold Ruler on our hands.' He said that very early on in Into Mischief's career. Now, he's a four-time consecutive Leading General Sire and has done something that's not been done since Bold Ruler. Wayne really loved this horse. He meant a lot to him.”

Forte Heads 'Strong' Hand for Pletcher…

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has won the Kentucky Derby twice from a record 62 starters and arguably brings his strongest hand ever to the 1 1/4-mile Classic this year. In addition to Kingsbarns, Pletcher will saddle 3-1 morning-line favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) and fellow 'Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit).

Last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old colt Forte punched his ticket to Louisville for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable with a valiant win with a much-discussed less-than-ideal trip in the GI Curlin Florida Derby. Only Street Sense and Nyquist have pulled off the Breeders' Cup Juvenile-Kentucky Derby double so far.

The $1.3-million Keeneland September graduate Tapit Trice will put a four-race winning streak on the line following eye-catching, come-from-behind victories in the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby and GI Toyota Blue Grass S.

“In terms of pari-mutuel support, it's probably going to be the strongest team that we've brought,” Pletcher said. “I think only one time have we started a favorite and that was in 2017, with (Derby winner) Always Dreaming. You could argue that it was possible that Forte and Tapit Trice could be the favorite and second choice or close to it. This is the deepest squad that we've put up so far.”

Derby Quartet for Brad Cox…

Brad Cox will have four of the 19 Kentucky Derby starters, including GI Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire), one of three Derby entries for the Albaugh Family Stables; narrow Blue Grass runner-up Verifying (Justify); the rail-drawn GII Wood Memorial S. runner-up Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}); and Louisiana Derby third and 'Rising Star' Jace's Road (Quality Road).

While officially recognized as a Kentucky Derby-winning trainer courtesy of the previously mentioned Mandaloun, Cox is still looking to experience that thrill of a lifetime winning the historic first leg of the Triple Crown.

“There was no experience of winning the Derby,” Cox said of the 2021 renewal. “It's the thrill of the victory that you're wanting to experience. There's no thrill in saying that you won the Derby through a phone call that says you were placed first through a DQ. There's no celebration. There's no win picture.”

Cox continued, “I do look forward, hopefully, this year to winning it. I think we got some really good shots. I'm sure it'd be a feeling like no other.”

In addition to Angel of Empire, Dennis Albaugh's operation also campaigns the Dale Romans-trained Florida Derby third-place finisher Cyclone Mischief and Jace's Road. The latter two are owned in partnership.

Outside Draws for Japanese Duo…

Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) (post 15), a dominating winner of the G2 UAE Derby, and GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby runner-up Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby) (post 18) will look to continue the recent high-profile worldwide success for Japan. A sixth-place finish by Master Fencer in the 2019 Derby has been the nation's best finish in the Run for the Roses so far.

What's All the Buzz About…

Who's made the best impression in the mornings leading up to the main event? Last out GII Rebel S. winner Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) is certainly a good place to start after his visually impressive bullet workout beneath the Twin Spires last weekend. 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner), meanwhile, has given every indication in the a.m. that he's ready to run the race of his life for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen following a flat third in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Impressive GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Two Phil's (Hard Spun) is another who has caught the eye during his morning preparations.

Stacked Derby Undercard…

Kicking off at 10:30 a.m. with another sensational forecast calling for partly cloudy skies and a high of 78 degrees, the 14-race Kentucky Derby program also prominently features: GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint heroine Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) in the GI Derby City Distaff S.; GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) in the GI Churchill Downs S.; and the highly anticipated return of last year's GI Del Mar Oaks heroine Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) in the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. The graded stakes action at Churchill Downs is rounded out by the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic; the GII Pat Day Mile S.; the GII American Turf S.; and the GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S.

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Bred by Tolo Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, the now-5-year-old was a $400,000 yearling purchase by Albaugh Family Racing at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Debuting at Churchill Downs in June at two, the Dale Romans trainee clipped heels and unseated his rider, then reappeared a month later to blow the doors off the competition by 19 1/4 lengths at Ellis Park, resulting in his 'Rising Star' moniker. Dennis' Moment quickly added the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill and was sent to the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile as the odds-on favorite, only to stumble badly out of the gate and lose all chance. He was raced sparingly the next three seasons, winning an optional allowance at Keeneland at four prior to placing in the GIII Mr. Prospector S. at Gulfstream. Dennis' Moment retires with a record of 14-3-2-3 and earnings of $302,962.

Hailing from the family of French, U.S., and Japanese Grade I/Group 1 winner Golden Pheasant (Caro {Ire}), Dennis' Moment is out a granddaughter of MGSW Seewillo (Pleasant Colony). His own dam, Transplendid, sold for $1.4 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

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As a freshman, in 2019, the son of Unbridled's Song mustered only two stakes winners. Nothing wrong with that, from 46 starters. Champion American Pharoah had four, from 72. But when he struck the target at all, Liam's Map made sure he hit the bull's-eye. Both those stakes scores came in Grade I races, Basin taking the Hopeful and Wicked Whisper the Frizette.

This time around, with a third wave of juveniles on the launchpad, the Lane's End stallion has again marshaled his forces for maximum impact. On the final Saturday of the Gulfstream meet, his sophomore daughter Crazy Beautiful won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks; first-crop son Churn N Burn won the GII Pan American S.; and Basin made a fine start to his own third campaign in the Sir Shackleton S.

If those represented three prongs of an unmissable trident, moreover, the shaft of the spear had been flung nicely forward just the previous week when Colonel Liam, winner of the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf in January, had confirmed his stature in the grass division by winning the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at the Fair Grounds.

So while Constitution is perceived as the breakout sire of their intake, Liam's Map not only boasts three Grade I winners against his one, but is now level with six graded stakes winners overall. To be fair to Constitution, they have reached this tally from 16 and nine graded stakes performers respectively, representing 6.4 and 3.6% of named foals. In other words, when Liam's Map gets a good one, he certainly makes it tell.

Of course, these things tend to even themselves out. And it's still early days, or should be in a sane world. But we know the ruthless haste with which the commercial market decides the fate of young stallions. Headline horses, or their absence, make a savage difference to momentum.

Liam's Map was retired to Lane's End in 2016 alongside two horses that had shared one of the most dramatic races of modern times, when his dazzling exhibition of speed in the GI Whitney S. the previous summer set up the late pounce of Honor Code (A.P. Indy), with Tonalist (Tapit) third. It was hard to choose between the trio, each being blessed with an exemplary pedigree, physique and race record, but Honor Code opened for business at $40,000, Tonalist at $30,000 and Liam's Map at $25,000.

Honor Code's first crop included the only colt to beat Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief), while Tonalist has accumulated black-type performers at a more or less identical ratio to Liam's Map. But Honor Code is now down to $20,000, and Tonalist to $12,500–while Liam's Map is $30,000. Sure enough, the gray was fully subscribed last year with 156 mares, compared with 85 for Honor Code and 122 for Tonalist.

Now, far-sighted breeders who actually want to breed runners know that the market's premature conclusions, for better or worse, create value opportunities. There's no reason at all why the other pair can't reward perseverance the way they did on the track–all three, of course, having been older in that memorable Saratoga race than are even their oldest progeny right now. Indeed, we awarded Tonalist gold on our value “podium” for this intake in our annual winter survey of Kentucky stallion options. As things stand, however, it is Liam's Map who has grabbed the headlines; and that self-fulfilling process is demonstrated right here, as we reward his Gulfstream streak with a closer look at his progress.

In this business, after all, the winds of fortune sometimes just seem to turn your way. That is certainly how things must have felt at Gulfstream for Vinnie and Teresa Viola of St. Elias Stable, who raced Liam's Map with West Point Thoroughbreds and include him among four graduates of their racetrack program they're now supporting at stud. For that same afternoon, their silks were carried to success in the GI Curlin Florida Derby by Known Agenda (Curlin), who proceeds to the GI Kentucky Derby already looking assured of a second career himself.

Last week, we spoke with the stable's bloodstock adviser John Sparkman in examining the pedigree of Known Agenda, and took the chance also to discuss the role of Liam's Map in the evolution of the St. Elias program. Because these things have a natural progression: each challenge met on the track creates a fresh one at stud; and St. Elias, respected as a model racing partner, has similarly succeeded in making deals with four different farms: sending Liam's Map to Lane's End; Vino Rosso (Curlin) to Spendthrift; Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) to WinStar; and Army Mule (Friesan Fire) to Hill 'n' Dale.

“You have an owner who really loves his horses and wants to see them succeed,” says Sparkman. “But he's also a businessman and he prefers, eventually, for it to pay for itself. And how are you going to do that? You're going to do that by having a successful stallion.”

And this objective, in turn, dovetails with the development of the St. Elias breeding program. Because the aspiration to breed quality runners, by recruiting the right mares, also allows the team to help these young sires get established. Known Agenda's dam, for instance, included both Liam's Map and Always Dreaming among her first covers.

“Building a top-class breeding program is a 10-year project,” says Sparkman. “And hopefully we're pretty much on schedule. We keep aiming for 40 broodmares, and keep going over that every year! Without getting into specifics, the numbers are changeable, shall we say. But part of the deal is having these young stallions to support.

“So basically we have a core of 30 to 40 high-quality mares, and then we have another group that we cycle through. Not bad mares, and of course nobody can necessarily predict which will turn out to be the really good ones. Some of those not in our core group right now may end up there. But the idea is to get foals by these unproven horses into the hands of as many people as you can.”

Liam's Map has managed to find fresh impetus at times when other stallions tend to tread water. Immediately following his debut season at stud, for instance, his brochure was boosted by half-brother Not This Time (Giant's Causeway), who won the GIII Iroquois S. by nearly nine lengths and then failed by just a neck to run down Classic Empire (Pioneerof The Nile) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Sadly he was then injured and, instead of farther promoting their family, set up into competition at Taylor Made. But his own excellent start there has certainly done no harm to the genetic appeal of Liam's Map.

In breeding both these horses, the Albaugh Family had sought a balance between Classic two-turn influences and the John Nerud-Tartan Farms speed behind their dam Miss Macy Sue (Trippi), a Grade III winner who placed in the inaugural Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. What immediately leaps from the page is the blaring replication, in Miss Macy Sue's dam Yada Yada (showed little in a light career), of Ta Wee (Intentionally)–the champion sprinter who was preceded to the Hall of Fame by her half-brother Dr. Fager (Rough'n Tumble). Yada Yada was by Ta Wee's son Great Above; and her dam was out of Ta Wee's daughter by Secretariat.

That's a ticking bomb of brilliance, especially when you consider that Ta Wee only produced five named foals. And while it was largely defused by a series of forgettable partners chosen for Yada Yada, Trippi kept the family “live” through Miss Macy Sue–first on the track and now, explosively, thanks to the purposeful matings introduced by the Albaugh Family. We all know that two-turn sires combined with fast families can sometimes produce the worst of both worlds, but they have succeeded in twice achieving the speed-carrying grail.

And their choice of Unbridled's Song for Miss Macy Sue brilliantly doubled down on the key ingredient of her pedigree. For not only was Dr. Fager the damsire of his grandsire Fappiano; his sire Unbridled brought Aspidistra (Better Self), the dam of Dr. Fager and Ta Wee, right back into play as his fourth dam.

The other flavor that luminously recurs behind Liam's Map is In Reality. He's the sire of Unbridled's second dam; his son, Valid Appeal, is damsire of Trippi; and his sire Intentionally gave us Ta Wee herself. Moreover, Intentionally sired In Reality out of a champion daughter of Dr. Fager's sire Rough'n Tumble; and (Yada Yada's sire/Ta Wee's son) Great Above was by Rough'n Tumble's son Minnesota Mac.

With this kind of background, Liam's Map is entitled to sire any kind. Himself an $800,000 yearling, obviously before he had Not This Time to help the page, he carried his speed into a second turn to win the GI Woodward S. (after his Whitney heartbreak) and then dominated the GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

On the face of it, he had been a relatively late bloomer, only breaking his maiden in late September as a sophomore. “But actually he was right on top of a race as a 2-year-old, and just had a slight problem,” explains Sparkman. “He would have won first out, easy, but he had this minor issue and Todd [Pletcher] decided not to risk him. So we gave him the time off, which obviously proved well worthwhile.”

Sparkman finds it striking that Colonel Liam and now Churn N Burn have given their sire an early impact on grass.

“Liam's Map, of course, never ran on turf,” he says. “No reason to think he couldn't, but there was no reason to. And yet, at this moment, if you had to rank the top five older turf horses in America, two are by Liam's Map. It's just whatever works. Don't just look at the pedigree, look at the horse and then decide.”

One way or another, then, these are exciting times for St. Elias: a new Grade I winner on the Derby trail, and Liam's Map leading the way for a quartet of promising young stallions. Actually, make that five: Battalion Runner, another son of Unbridled's Song out of a sister to Tapizar (Tapit), runner-up in the GII Wood Memorial S. in the year Always Dreaming won the Derby, is apparently selling himself well as a physical down at Ocala Stud.

But a personal feeling is that any breeder who might retain a filly should be particularly excited by Vino Rosso, given that his sire is out of a Deputy Minister mare while his own second dam is by Touch Gold, himself by Deputy Minister out of a Buckpasser mare. In other words, distaff gold all the way through.

“All of these different farms have done a good job with what we're trying to do,” Sparkman says. “It was difficult for Always Dreaming, because of that really severe case of ulcers after he won the Derby, which took a while to catch. I think that really compromised the rest of his career. We kept him in training but he only ran a couple of times, early, and so by the time he went to stud people had forgotten how good he was. But he's getting very nice foals.

“Army Mule was a brilliant horse and he's been quite well received. In his first two crops, it was no particular problem to get mares to him. This crop, as usual, it's more difficult. So he's one we've bought a number of mares for. And now there's Vino Rosso, who's a very good-looking horse with, as you say, the Deputy Minister in him that's easy to latch onto.”

It was characteristic of Viola that he invited Monique Delk, appointed the stable's Executive Director of Racehorse Development after 10 years working with the late Jimmy Crupi, to lead in Known Agenda at Gulfstream. So there will be plenty of people wishing him well with Liam's Map, the first horse picked out for his stable by Crupi.

“Mr. Viola is a very generous and kind man, and very classy,” agrees Sparkman. “He's always very much aware of giving credit to the people who have helped. As for Liam's Map, he's in that really tough market after their first couple of years. We've been supporting him during the time when people are waiting to see, but hopefully at this point they've seen that he's a good horse.”

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Michael Shanley's Nova Rags (Union Rags) makes a return trip to Tampa following his win in the seven-furlong Pasco S. last time out Jan. 16. The Bill Mott trainee, a maiden winner first-out at Belmont last October, was fourth in the Nov. 8 GIII Nashua S. in the finale of his two-race juvenile campaign.

Mott also saddles Candy Man Rocket (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the Davis. The dark bay colt romped to a 9 1/4-length maiden win going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park Jan. 9.

“Both of our horses have been training well, and we're anxiously awaiting the outcome to see if we have horses good enough to go on and come back for the [GII Lambholm South] Tampa Bay Derby [Mar. 6],” Mott said Friday from his South Florida base. “It's a big test for both horses, and we have no great expectations. Candy Man Rocket hasn't been beyond 6 1/2 furlongs and Nova Rags hasn't raced around two turns yet, so they need to be tested to find out how far they want to go.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a pair of runners in the Davis. St Elias Stables homebred Known Agenda (Curlin) makes his first start since finishing third in the GIII Remsen S. last December, while Donegal Racing's Millean (Blame) graduated versus $50,000 maiden claimers at Gulfstream Jan. 10.

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“It was a really great week to win both the Pocahontas (Grade 3) and Iroquois (G3),” Romans said. “We're coming into the Breeders' Cup with some good chances and ready to take our shot. I think that across the board each of the Breeders' Cup races are shaping up to be competitive. It's fun getting to compete on this stage and seeing who is the best of the best.”

Sittin On Go, a 2-year-old undefeated son of former Romans-trained Brody's Cause, is one of the top contenders for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). Also scheduled to join him in the starting gate is Albaugh's maiden winner Smiley Sobotka.

Girl Daddy, who won the $200,000 Pocahontas by two lengths, is likely to face seven rivals in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

“Obviously, long term, you always have next year's Kentucky Derby and Oaks in the back of your mind,” Romans said. “These horses have shown they have potential to get to that level in the future.”

Romans also pre-entered CJ Thoroughbreds, Left Turn Racing and Casner Racing's $500,000 Derby City Distaff (GI) third-place finisher Sally's Curlin to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI) and Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's $200,000 Fayette (GII) hero Mr Freeze to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (GI).

All five horses are expected to have their final works prior to the Breeders' Cup Friday or Saturday. They will ship to Keeneland on Monday, according to Romans.

The post ‘Ready To Take Our Shot’: Romans’ Breeders’ Cup Brigade Led By Juveniles Girl Daddy, Sittin On GO appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Corey Lanerie, Sittin On Go covered the mile on a fast main track in 1:35.

In addition to picking up 10 points toward the 2021 Kentucky Derby, the winner also earned a fees-paid berth into the $2-million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

Favored Therideofalifetime led the field of 10 through uncontested fractions of :23.04, :45.64 and 1:10. At the top of the lane, Midnight Bourbon made the first move at Therideofalifetime and opened a daylight advantage that evaporated at the sixteenth pole.

The victory, the second in two starts for Sittin On Go, was worth $117,800 and boosted Sittin On Go's earnings to $145,520.

Sittin On Go is a Kentucky-bred son of Brody's Cause out of the More Than Ready mare Set'n On Ready.

Sittin On Go returned $50, $18.60 and $9. Midnight Bourbon, ridden by Gerardo Corrales, returned $6 and $4 and finished 1 ¾ lengths in front of Super Stock who paid $5.20 to show under Ricardo Santana Jr.

It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to Therideofalifetime who was followed in order by Pico d'Oro, Notary, Ultimate Badger, Crazy Shot, Drop Anchor and Belafonte.

“He broke really good and put me right where I thought he would be after watching his replay from Ellis Park,” said Lanerie. “Down the backside, he was trying to get out on me. I don't know why, but he settled in real nice. I was actually going to follow Dale's (Romans) other horse (Ultimate Badger), but I had so much horse, I went to the outside and let him come on. Watching the races, it looked like the outside is the best place to be. I didn't want any excuses for getting him stopped. I put him in the clear and he was just like his daddy (stakes winner Brody's Cause).”

“We're having ourselves a great weekend,” said Romans, who  on Thursday saddled Girl Daddy to win the Pocahontas, a Win and You're In for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.  “This horse reminds us a lot of his father (Brody's Cause). We were pretty confident he'd be able to stretch out from his training and this race set up perfectly for us. We're on to the Breeders' Cup.”

“Man, to pick up the Pocahontas (with Girl Daddy) and then follow it up with the Iroquois two days later is unreal,” said Dennis Albaugh. “We couldn't be happier. That's why we're in the racing business. That horse was unbelievable coming around the turn. I was like, 'Man, he's moving.' ”

Steve Asmussen was positive about the performances of his two runners, Midnight Bourbon and Super Stock. “Both of them are solid colts, good finishing times,” Asmussen said. “Just another step in the development of 2-year-olds that we hope end as good 3-year-olds. Super Stock, he kind of stumbled just a tad away from there. He wasn't exactly where we expected him to be early but I thought he adjusted and ran a solid race considering. And Midnight Bourbon ran really well. I thought he should have won from the position he was in but he was back on short rest and has room to improve.”

Florent Geroux, aboard favored Therideofalifetime, the beaten favorite who finished fourth, said:  “Disappointed. He broke sharp and made the lead very easily. He did not finish for some reason. I don't know if it was too far for him or if it was too soon after the Saratoga race.”

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Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Joe Talamo, Girl Daddy covered the mile on the fast main track in 1:34.94. The victory was a record-setting fourth in the Pocahontas for Romans who previously won with Sara Louise (2008), Sassy Image (2009) and Cristina's Journey (2014).

Girl Daddy picked up 10 points toward next year's Oaks with the second- through fourth-place finishers picking up four, two and one point, respectively.

The victory also earned Girl Daddy a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be run Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

Inject and Mania led the field of nine through fractions of :22.22 and :44.97 as Talamo had Girl Daddy racing in the second tier on the outside. Moving three-wide at the head of the lane, Girl Daddy shot to the lead and got the jump on Crazy Beautiful who was caught in traffic.

“What a talented filly she is,” said Talamo. “In the paddock Dale (Romans) just said to ride her like I did last time. Fortunately, it worked out that way.  I just let her do her thing. It's crazy that they went in :44 and change. The way she was going, it felt like :46 and change. That's how you know you're on a good one. Her mind is what makes her so talented. When she won at Ellis Park she acted like she had run 12 times. It was the same thing today. She was on the muscle, but in a good way.”

Girl Daddy is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Unbridled's Song mare Cara Marie. Now perfect in two starts, Girl Daddy picked up the winner's share of $119,040 and increased her bankroll to $141,240.

“This filly was super impressive with that fast pace up front,” said Romans. “They were running really fast but Joe (Talamo) got her in a great spot. She's shown some incredible talent for this stage of her career. It's exciting having a filly developing this quickly. We're thrilled to only have to take a short trip down the road to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup.”

Girl Daddy returned $8.60, $3.60 and $3.20. Crazy Beautiful, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., returned $3 and $2.60 with Alexandria finishing another 3 3/4 lengths back in third and paying $5 to show under Gerardo Corrales.

It was another 5 3/4 lengths back to Xtrema who was followed in order by Fabricate, Mania, American Grace. Inject and Blissful Change.

Friday's 13-race program that begins at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) is headlined by the 146th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI). In addition to the Oaks, five other graded stakes are on tap including the $500,000 La Troienne  (G1) for fillies and mares that features 2018 Eclipse Award winner and Kentucky Oaks winner Monomoy Girl.

“We're thrilled to only have to take a short trip down the road to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup,” said Dale Romans, trainer of Girl Daddy

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