“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.”

The post Keeneland Breeder Spotlight: Albaugh Family Back on Derby Trail appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“Very proud of the horse,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “I think he's still learning. I think he was a little green there down the lane, but overall showed that he does have a lot of stamina and talent. I thought he stepped up and ran well against a solid group of 3-year-olds.”

A $575,000 Keeneland September yearling, Catching Freedom debuted with a 3 3/4-length victory going one mile at Churchill Oct. 1 and was coming off a troubled fourth-place effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' Parchment Party (Constitution) in a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in Louisville Nov. 9. He is a half-brother to last year's GII Ohio Derby runner-up Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo). A 62nd stakes winner for Constitution, Catching Freedom is out of GISP Catch My Drift, purchased for $400,000 at FTKNOV by WinStar back in 2015. Her 2-year-old Improbable filly brought $385,000 from Centennial Farms at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and she reported a filly by Not This Time last year and was not reported bred for 2024. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#2 CATCHING FREEDOM ($5.40) is victorious in the Smarty Jones Stakes! The 3YO son of Constitution (@WinStarFarm) earns 10 points on the Road to #KyDerby2024 for trainer @bradcoxracing with Cristian Torres in the irons. pic.twitter.com/CEL9tLDpUM

— TVG (@TVG) January 1, 2024

SMARTY JONES S., $300,000, Oaklawn, 1-1, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.59, ft.
1–CATCHING FREEDOM, 117, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Catch My Drift (SW & GISP, $280,540),
                                by Pioneerof the Nile
                2nd Dam: Drift to the Lead, by Yonaguska
                3rd Dam: Drifa, by Tabasco Cat
($575,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Albaugh
Family Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox;
J-Cristian A. Torres. $162,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0,
$237,350. *1/2 to Strava (Into Mischief), MSP, $347,623;
1/2 to Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), MGSP, $212,600.
2–Just Steel, 119, c, 3, Justify–Irish Lights (Aus), by Fastnet Rock
(Aus). ($500,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-BC Stables, LLC;
B-Summerhill Farm (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $54,000.
3–Informed Patriot, 117, c, 3, Hard Spun–Yawkey Way, by
Grand Slam. ($90,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-J. Kirk and Judy
Robison; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds LTD & Whisper Hill Farm
(KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $27,000.
Margins: 2HF, NK, NK. Odds: 1.70, 4.50, 10.40.
Also Ran: Gettysburg Address, Mystik Dan, Lagynos, Mo Winning, Chaperone, Fidget.

The post Constitution’s Catching Freedom Stylish in Smarty Jones Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dash Attack won his first two career starts, including the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1, before being beaten 7 ¾ lengths by heavily favored Newgrange in the 1 1/16-mile Southwest. Dash Attack was racing over a fast track for the first time in the Southwest, Oaklawn's second of four Kentucky Derby points races.

“I think between that racetrack being a little bit deep and cuppy, and we kind of had to adjust our work schedule, I think we left him short,” McPeek said. “He got tired in the race. He seemed to come back fine, but I wish I had done a little more with him in hindsight. But the night before, it was extremely cold and I don't think they had much water on it (track) and he didn't handle it well.”

Dash Attack splashed to a two-length victory in the one-mile Smarty Jones, which was Oaklawn's first Kentucky Derby points race. Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 26 and the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 2.

McPeek said Dash Attack “definitely” will be considered for the Rebel, which will offer 85 points (50-20-10-5, respectively) to the top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated qualifying races.

Dash Attack ranks No. 9 on the latest Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory.

“We're not ruling the Rebel out at all,” McPeek said. “We're going to kind of regroup and put another plan together and hopefully it unfolds a little better than the Southwest did.”

Southern California-based Bob Baffert said he will “definitely have something for the Rebel,” a 1 1/16-mile race the Hall of Fame trainer has won a record eight times. Barber Road, runner-up in the Smarty Jones and Southwest, is likely headed to the Rebel, trainer John Ortiz said.

Vivar is off the Kentucky Derby trail following his 10th-place finish in the Southwest, trainer Brad Cox said Tuesday afternoon.

“We're going to give him a break and freshen him up,” said Cox, who trains Vivar for breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs. “Don't really think he's a dirt horse. Kind of always thought he was more grass. We've given him the opportunity and he really didn't answer the questions we were asking, so it's time to back up and give him some time and maybe point him for a grass campaign this summer.”

Vivar finished fifth in the Smarty Jones.

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Smarty Jones S. top three Dash Attack (Munnings), Barber Road (Race Day) and Ignitis (Nyquist) rematch here. Opening his account with a 1 1/4-length score here Dec. 5, Dash Attack rallied from well back to take a sloppy renewal of the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones by two lengths.

Barber Road graduated at second asking when dropped from a maiden special weight to a maiden $30,000 and extended to two turns at Keeneland in October. Romping in a starter allowance at Churchill Nov. 10, the gray was second in the Lively Shively S. beneath the Twin Spires 17 days later and was next seen in the Smarty Jones.

After a quartet of in-the-money efforts, Ignitis earned his diploma at Keeneland Oct. 14, but could only manage sixth in the Lively Shively prior to the Smarty Jones.

The post Baffert Saddles Southwest Favorite appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Cohen guided Dash Attack (2 for 2) to victories in his Dec. 5 career debut and the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 1, the latter Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races.

Cohen had never been on Dash Attack before the chestnut son of Munnings closed with a rush to capture his career debut at Oaklawn for trainer Kenny McPeek. The Smarty Jones came roughly 9 ½ years after Cohen and McPeek teamed to win the $1 million Travers Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds at Saratoga with Golden Ticket.

“That's what David meant in the interview (following the Smarty Jones) – to circle back with Kenny – it's great,” said Cohen's longtime agent, Bill Castle. “After winning with Golden Ticket, to try and repeat like that, 'Wow!'”

Dash Attack is among 12 horses entered in the Southwest, which goes as the ninth of 11 races Saturday. Racing begins at 12 p.m. (Central), with probable post time for the Southwest 4:22 p.m.

The projected Southwest field from the rail out:

1. Ben Diesel, Jon Court to ride, 117 pounds, 10-1 on the morning line
2. Dash Attack, David Cohen, 122, 7-1
3. Don'tcrossthedevil, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 30-1
4. Kavod, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 12-1
5. Costa Terra, Tiago Pereira, 117, 12-1
6. Osbourne, David Cabrera, 117, 8-1
7. Ignitis, Luis Contreras, 117, 10-1
8. Barber Road, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 5-1
9. Classic Moment, Martin Garcia, 117, 12-1
10. Newgrange, John Velazquez, 122, 2-1
11. Call Me Jamal, Geovanni Franco, 117, 30-1
12. Vivar, Florent Geroux, 119, 12-1

Dash Attack collected 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory and ranks ninth on the official Kentucky Derby leaderboard released Sunday by Churchill Downs.

The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with starting preference given to horses with the highest point totals earned in designated races like the Smarty Jones and the Southwest, which also offers 17 to the four finishers (10-4-2-1).

Castle said McPeek asked him before the Oaklawn meeting began Dec. 3 if Cohen would be interested riding a “talented unraced baby” the trainer had, aka Dash Attack, in his career debut. McPeek didn't have to ask twice, Castle said.

“Just thrilled to be on him,” Castle said. “Just fortunate.”

Both of Dash Attack's victories have come at 1 mile over an off track. He was a 1 ¼-length winner of his career debut at odds of 10-1, then won the Smarty Jones by two lengths at odds of 7-1.

“Kenny told me he had some issues with the horse physically early on and that's why he was a late bloomer and was probably about 80 percent fit going into the first race,” Cohen said. “Naturally, first time out, two turns, off track, sitting in the pocket, you expect a horse to get better for the next time out. We were hoping that he didn't regress of that effort, but he came out of that race very well.”

The Smarty Jones marked Cohen's 20th career victory for McPeek, according to statistical provider Equineline. More than half (13) came in 2012, including the Travers.

“It's a blessing,” Cohen said, referring to Dash Attack. “Kenny and I, we've linked up in the past for some big wins, the Travers being one of them. To have this year come around and have a horse this early, it's a blessing.”

Cohen, 37, finished seventh aboard Keepmeinmind in last year's Kentucky Derby for trainer Robertino Diodoro, the jockey's major client. His Kentucky Derby debut came a little more than seven years after a severe leg injury (he was kicked by a horse in the paddock before a Feb. 1, 2014, race at Aqueduct) and the subsequent deaths of deaths of his father (cancer) and sister (head injury) threatened to derail the jockey's once-promising career.

Cohen rode his first winner in 2004 and ranked sixth nationally in victories (288) and 24th in purse earnings ($7,357,326) – both career highs – in 2009 competing in New York and the Mid-Atlantic, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Golden Ticket, a 33-1 long shot, dead-heated with favored Alpha in the prestigious Travers, billed the “Midsummer Derby.”

“In those years, Kenny was a tremendous supporter, from Golden Ticket to graded stakes horses like that,” Castle said. “We're fortunate to have fallen into Kenny's barn right now.”

After not riding in 2015 and 2016, Cohen returned to the saddle in late 2017 and rode 37 winners in his Oaklawn debut in 2018 to finish third in the standings. Cohen rode 75 winners the following year at Oaklawn to end Ricardo Santana Jr.'s six-year hold on the title. Now, he's winning races for McPeek again.

“He's always done a good job for me,” McPeek said. “He's going to stay on this horse until he gets beat, I suppose. He's a good rider. I think he's equally excited.”

Dash Attack completed major preparations for the Southwest with a 5-furlong maintenance workout in 1:01.40 Monday morning under Cohen. The track was fast.

“Just let him stretch his legs and finish up,” McPeek said. “Pretty basic stuff for us.”

The Southwest is part of a stakes tripleheader Saturday.

The $200,000 Martha Washington for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles has drawn a field of six, including multiple stakes winner Optionality and powerful Dec. 31 allowance winner Secret Oath. Nine horses are entered in the $150,000 King Cotton for older sprinters, including Grade 1 winner Collusion Illusion, track record holders Hollis and Nashville and defending champion Boldor.

Newgrange and Collusion Illusion were scheduled to arrive Wednesday following a flight from Southern California, where both horses are based.

The post David Cohen Hoping For Return Trip To Kentucky Derby With Dash Attack appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dash Attack's victory came a little over a month after stablemate Smile Happy won the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs to remain unbeaten in two lifetime starts. McPeek's arsenal of newly turned 3-year-olds also features Rattle N Roll, winner of the $500,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 9 at Keeneland, and Tiz the Bomb, who broke his maiden by 14 ¼ lengths on dirt at a mile last summer at Ellis Park before becoming a Grade 2 winner on grass.

“I'm in a pretty enviable position right now,” McPeek said.

Ridden by David Cohen, Dash Attack ($17.40) was a two-length winner of the Smarty Jones, which marked Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races. Barber Road finished second, a length clear of Ignitis. It was a nose farther back to Kavod in fourth.

Dash Attack collected 10 qualifying points for the victory and ranks eighth on the latest official Kentucky Derby leaderboard compiled by Churchill Downs. Rattle N Roll (10) and Smile Happy (10) are second and fifth, respectively. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with points earned in designated races like the one-mile Smarty Jones used to determine starting preference.

Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29. McPeek said early last month that Smile Happy was under consideration for the Southwest, but that was shortly before Dash Attack won his Dec. 5 career debut at Oaklawn. Now, the Munnings colt is armed with two victories at a mile, one coming in a Kentucky Derby points race.

Smile Happy, meanwhile, is with McPeek's Florida division and returned to the work tab Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park, where he covered three furlongs in :38.46. Tiz the Bomb went 3 furlongs in :37.84 Saturday morning at Gulfstream Park.

“Nothing is set in stone with this, with any of them, as you know,” McPeek said by phone from Florida following the Smarty Jones. “Right now, Smile Happy is still just getting ready. He just had a little three-eighths, out an eighth, today. The next couple of weeks we'll step him up. We'll figure it out. If they go together, they go together and if they don't, they don't.”

McPeek already owns victories in two legs of the Triple Crown – Sarava (2002 Belmont) and Swiss Skydiver (2020 Preakness) – but he's still seeking his first Kentucky Derby victory. His best finish with six starters to date is Tejano Run, the 1995 runner-up.

McPeek's strong hand of early 2022 Kentucky Derby candidates only got stronger with Saturday's performance by Dash Attack, who was facing winners for the first time.

“He definitely jumped into the conversation,” McPeek said. “Smile Happy's a very good horse. Most years you would want to have all these horses separated in different years. I've always watched guys like, whether it was Wayne Lukas years back, and there's others, obviously, Bob Baffert, and others. You look up and all of a sudden you've got that group of horses and they're all coming together. Look, a lot can happen. We're just going to try and keep it steady and not overthink it and let the horses take us where they're going to take us.”

Dash Attack races for his breeders, Richard Greenberg (Catalyst Stable) and McPeek's wife, Sherri (Magdalena Racing), along with Kevin Pollard and Patty Slevin. Dash Attack was raised at Kenny McPeek's Magdalena Farm in Kentucky.

McPeek said “little issues early in his 2-year-old year” delayed Dash Attack's racing debut. The colt has maintained a steady work pattern the last month, recording seven published breezes since Nov. 3, the last two coming in December at Oaklawn.

“He just was immature,” McPeek said. “We actually sent him to the farm a couple of times because I felt like he wasn't ready. He's just a little bit later bloomer, but he's always been a big, strong, gorgeous horse to look at and be around. I think our patience has paid well. If we had pressed him earlier in the year, he certainly wouldn't be doing what he's doing now.”

Although by Munnings, a multiple Grade 2-winning sprinter, McPeek said he believed Dash Attack was a two-turn horse. McPeek also trained Dash Attack's dam, Cerce Cay, who broke her maiden at 1 1/8 miles on the turf in 2012 at Churchill Downs.

“She had quite a bit of talent,” McPeek said. “The other interesting thing about this horse is that we raised this horse. We partnered in on his mare. We're involved in breeding with Rick Greenberg, so we bred him and raised him at Magdalena. Where he came from is pretty special. Most of my m.o. is that I buy horses at auction. In his case, he came from Magdalena Farm.”

Dash Attack received a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 82 for his victory in the Smarty Jones, which drew a record 13 starters. His winning time over a sloppy track was 1:39.44. Dash Attack, who is named after the 4-year-old grandson of Greenberg's fiancée, Linda Hamilton, has earned $205,440.

John Ortiz, who trains Barber Road, said immediately following the Smarty Jones that he plans to keep the Race Day colt in Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby prep series.

Oaklawn's final two Kentucky Derby points races are the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26 and the $1.25 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2.

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Dash Attack broke a step behind the field from his rail post, but that allowed him to settle into seventh place. Ruggs led the field through an opening quarter mile in :23.03 before relenting the lead to Ben Diesel before a half mile in :46.38. Jockey David Cohen moved the winner out of traffic and they came four-wide into the lane after six furlongs in 1:12.34 before drawing off to win by two lengths over Barber Road, who also closed fast to earn four points for second. Final time for the one-mile race was 1:39.44 over a sloppy track.

“He broke a little flat-footed today, but was able to work out a pretty good trip,” Cohen said. “I had to move a little earlier than I would have liked. I like to be a little more patient with the horse, but given the short stretch, it was the time to go and I saw one opportunity to get out (of traffic). I pointed him in that direction and got that so-called sling shot effort. He really turned up his game and turned on the power.”

Ignitus finished third by a head in front of Advent Stakes-winner Kavod. Ignitus earned two points toward Kentucky Derby eligibility, while Kavod earned one.

Dash Attack, a Munnings colt trained by Kenny McPeek, is now a perfect two for two and has earned  $205,440. He returned $17.40, $8.60 and $5.60 at odds of 7-1.

“I'm just really pleased with the job David (Cohen) and my team did over there,” McPeek said, when reached by telephone in Florida. “Just an impressive run by that colt. Look, he's still just figuring it out, this horse. I knew he would come from off the pace. I saw that he got off a little awkward. I just didn't want David to rush things and it looked to me like he started to, but then as the race unfolded, he kind of ended up in a pocket for a while. But good horses overcome things and he's done that, for sure.”

Live racing resumes Sunday with a 12:30 p.m. Central first post. The next race in Oaklawn's 3-year-old series is the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Updated Kentucky Derby Leaderboard

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A fourth race for 3-year-olds, the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park, is not a points race but kicks off the road to the G1 Florida Derby, traditionally one of the most productive races that leads to Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Aqueduct's $150,000 Jerome, run at one mile around one turn, has drawn a field of eight 3-year-olds. Fourteen have been entered in Oaklawn's $250,000 Southwest, run at a mile around two turns. Five are scheduled to go postward in the $100,000 Sham, a Grade 3 race run around two turns at one mile at Santa Anita. Two of the five are trained by Bob Baffert, whose horses are not eligible for Kentucky Derby points due to his being excluded from all Churchill Downs tracks after Medina Spirit, first-place finishers in the 2021 Kentucky Derby, failed a post-race drug test.

In addition to the races for Triple Crown hopefuls, there are two other graded stakes on Santa Anita's New Year's Day program: the G2 Joe Hernandez for older turf sprinters running on the picturesque downhill turf course; and the G3 Robert J. Frankel for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on the infield grass oval.

Here's a brief look at the four 3-year-old races (all times Eastern).

Saturday

3:50 p.m. – Jerome at Aqueduct

The Jerome was first run in 1866 and has been won by some legendary horses, but that was when it was contested during the fall. Since being moved to January, it has not attracted classic prospects.

This year's field is led by Jeremiah O'Dwyer-trained Cooke Creek, an Uncle Mo colt who was 2-for-2 at Delaware Park before a good second to Baffert-trained Rockefeller in the G3 Nashua Stakes Nov. 7. He draws the inside post and will be ridden by Manny Franco. Starting from the outside post will be the Rudy Rodriguez-trained Hagler, the expected pacesetter who won back-to-back sprint races at Belmont and Aqueduct and is making his stakes debut. Jorge Vargas Jr. rides.

Jerome entries

4:42 p.m. – Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park

Morning line favorite Strike Hard has a win over the Gulfstream surface at the same distance as the Mucho Macho Man but disappointed in his only stakes start for trainer Matthew Williams when sent to Churchill Downs for a seventh-place finish in the G3 Iroquois Stakes in September. Junior Alvarado rides. Graphic Detail, a Practical Joke colt trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won at first asking at Belmont Park Nov. 6 and has been training steadily at Payson Park. Red-hot Luis Saez has the mount.

Mucho Macho Man entries

6:13 p.m. – Smarty Jones at Oaklawn

Oaklawn has built a formidable series of races for 3-year-olds leading to the Triple Crown. After Saturday's Smarty Jones comes the $750,000, G3 Southwest Stakes on Jan. 29; the $1 million, G2 Rebel on Feb. 26; and the $1,250,000, G1 Arkansas Derby on April 2.

The Smarty Jones appears to be a wide open contest, with Chris Hartman-trained Kavod – a $50,000 claim at Churchill Downs in November – the only stakes winner in the field of 14. He won the six-furlong Advent Stakes at Oaklawn Dec. 3. Home Brew, a Street Sense colt from the Brad Cox barn, comes off a solid allowance win going a mile at Oaklawn Dec. 4 and is the morning line favorite. He began his career in Maryland with Kelly Breen and was transferred after that race to Cox, finishing second in a Nov. 14 Churchill Downs allowance race before his local win. Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen has a trio entered in the Smarty Jones, but two of them – Cairama and Cool Papa G – drew the 11 and 12 posts, respectively, posing a serious challenge for their riders. His best hope may rest with All in Sync, breaking from the two post under Ricardo Santana Jr. A 12-1 longshot breaking from the rail is Kenny McPeek-trained Dash Attack, a Munnings colt who captured his debut at Oaklawn by 1 1/4 lengths. David Cohen rode him that day and will be aboard again on Saturday.

Smarty Jones entries

7:00 p.m. – Sham at Santa Anita

Rockefeller and Newgrange represent the barn of Bob Baffert, who dominates California races for 2- and 3-year-olds on dirt. Rockefeller comes off a win in the G3 Nashua after being sent to  Belmont in November and Newgrange won at first asking at Del Mar. Mackinnon, third in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf for trainer Doug O'Neill, is testing the main track for the first time since his debut at Santa Anita last May. Oviatt Class is a talented horse who would benefit from a quick pace. He was an unlucky fifth behind Corniche in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile for trainer Keith Desormeaux and his brother, Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux.

Sham entries

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TVG's Caleb Keller will be reporting live from Oaklawn Park on Saturday. The Smarty Jones Stakes will offer 10-4-2-1 points towards a spot in the starting gate in the Kentucky Derby and the race has drawn a full field of fourteen. Home Brew, one of two contenders for trainer Brad Cox, has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite and will be ridden by Florent Geroux. A homebred son of Street Sense for Gary and Mary West, he has one two of his three starts and will be making his stakes debut.

Kentucky Derby points will be up for grabs at Santa Anita in the $100,000 Sham Stakes (G3), one of four graded stakes races on the card along with the $250,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes (G2), $200,000 La Canada Stakes (G3) and the $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes (G3). Todd Schrupp, Britney Eurton, Christina Blacker, Scott Hazelton, Dave Weaver and Kurt Hoover will be reporting live from Santa Anita throughout the day with exclusive interviews, analysis and features.

Gulfstream Park has a loaded card featuring six black-type events on Saturday. Larry Collmus and Andie Biancone will be reporting live from the track with interviews and expert analysis. The featured event is the $150,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes, a one mile contest for 3-year-olds. Strike Hard, fresh off of an allowance win at Gulfstream in December, is the 2-1 morning line favorite for trainer Matthew Williams and will have Junior Alvarado in the irons as he faces five rivals.

In addition to racing from Oaklawn Park and Santa Anita TVG will be featuring racing from Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

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Oaklawn's Road to the Kentucky Derby begins Saturday with the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, a one-mile race that has drawn a full field of 14. Probable post time for the Smarty Jones, which goes as the ninth of 10 races, is 4:13 p.m. (Central). First post is 12:30 p.m.

The Smarty Jones is Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races, with 17 up for grabs to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1, respectively). What's different in 2022 is the timing of those races. Coinciding with an expanded 2021-2022 schedule – the Dec. 3 opening was the earliest in Oaklawn history and more than a month before traditional dates – the Smarty Jones, Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 29, Rebel (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26 and Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles April 2 were all moved up on the calendar.

The Smarty Jones previously had been run in mid to late January, Southwest in mid to late February and the Rebel in mid to late March. The Arkansas Derby is still in April, but it is now five weeks before the Kentucky Derby, instead of falling three weeks away as it has since 1996.

In addition to the revamped schedule, Oaklawn President Louis Cella boosted the purse of the Smarty Jones from $150,000 to $250,000 and the Arkansas Derby from $1 million to a record $1.25 million, keeping it the country's richest Kentucky Derby prep race.

The moves are already paying dividends.

The Smarty Jones, inaugurated in 2008, drew a record 98 nominees. If the field remains intact, it will be the largest in race history, eclipsing 12 starters in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

“Not that the Smarty Jones is new, the placement of the Smarty Jones is new,” Oaklawn racing secretary Pat Pope said moments after Tuesday's post position draw for the race. “The fact that Louis wanted to put more money in, all those things tremendously helped the race.”

The projected 14-horse Smarty Jones field from the rail out:

1. Dash Attack, David Cohen to ride, 117 pounds, 12-1 on the morning line
2. All in Sync, Ricardo Santana Jr., 117, 8-1
3. Home Brew, Florent Geroux, 119, 3-1
4. Kavod, Francisco Arrieta, 119, 5-1
5. Ignitis, Luis Contreras, 117, 15-1
6. Bureau, David Cabrera, 117, 12-1
7. Ruggs, Julien Leparoux, 117, 10-1
8. Vivar, Martin Garcia, 119, 8-1
9. Don'tcrossthedevil, Lane Luzzi, 117, 10-1
10. Barber Road, Reylu Gutierrez, 117, 4-1
11. Cairama, Geovanni Franco, 117, 8-1
12. Cool Papa G, Ramon Vazquez, 117, 6-1
13. Immoral, Tiago Pereira, 117, 20-1
14. Ben Diesel, Jon Court, 117, 5-1

Oaklawn's totalisator system can accommodate 14 wagering interests after an upgrade for the 2017 meeting.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen nominated 21 horses to the Smarty Jones and entered three – All in Sync, Cairama and Cool Papa G. Trainer Brad Cox nominated 14 and entered program favorite Home Brew and Vivar. Trainer Kenny McPeek nominated five and entered Dash Attack. Fair Grounds-based trainer Dallas Stewart, who has a small string at Oaklawn, is scheduled to be represented by Ben Diesel.

Strong interest in the Smarty Jones comes on the heels of two other recent 17-point Kentucky Derby preps – $400,000 Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 17 at Remington Park and the inaugural $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes last Sunday at Fair Grounds.

“I think now, it's boom, boom, boom,” Pope said. “What I'm seeing, trainers do this even for Breeders' Cup, they work backwards. The don't work forwards. So, they sit there and work backwards. How many races do I need to get to the Kentucky Derby? How many races do I need to get to the Arkansas Derby? And what's the best scenario to do it?”

Ben Diesel exits a fourth-place finish in the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. The son of champion and 2013 Smarty Jones winner Will Take Charge is a homebred for Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark. Ben Diesel is full brother to Will's Secret, who won Oaklawn's $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes and $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at the 2021 Oaklawn meeting for Stewart and Horton.

Barber Road, Cool Papa G and Ignitis finished 2-3-6, respectively, in the $200,000 Lively Shively Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 27 at Churchill Downs. Lively Shively winner Tejano Twist returned to run second in the Gun Runner at 1 1/16 miles.

Vivar finished sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club for Cox and breeder/owner John Ed Anthony of Hot Springs, who teamed to win the 2021 Smarty Jones with Caddo River. Home Brew, in his two-turn debut, was a Dec. 4 entry-level allowance winner at Oaklawn. Dash Attack was a career debut winner at 1 mile Dec. 5 at Oaklawn.

Kavod, Cairama and Ruggs were 1-3-4, respectively, in the $150,000 Advent Stakes Dec. 3.

Kavod won the 6-furlong Advent – Oaklawn's first stakes race for 2-year-olds since 1973 – in his first start after being claimed out of a Nov. 20 sprint victory at Churchill Downs for $50,000 by trainer Chris Hartman. The Smarty Jones would mark Kavod's two-turn debut on the main track.

“We're just looking at it,” Hartman, Oaklawn's 2015 training champion, said Tuesday afternoon. “We'll see how he looks in the race.”

Like the Smarty Jones, the Southwest is a 17-point race. The stakes become bigger in the Rebel (85 points to the top four finishers, including 50 to the winner) and Arkansas Derby (170, including 100 to the winner).

Starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 horses, is determined by points earned in designated races like the Smarty Jones, Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby.

The date of the Arkansas Derby is now more in line with other final major Kentucky Derby preps across the country. The 170-point Louisiana Derby, for example, is only a week before the Arkansas Derby in 2022.

“It's the trend,” Asmussen said. “You know, more time between races for big horses.”

Qualifying points are only awarded to horses who don't use race-day Lasix in Road to the Kentucky Derby races. None of the 14 Smarty Jones entrants will be racing on the anti-bleeder medication Saturday.

Oaklawn's scheduled 66-day meeting ends May 8, the day after the Kentucky Derby.

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