Sittin on Go, Girl Daddy step up for star-crossed stable

Jason Loutsch, racing manager for Albaugh Family Stables, allowed himself to dream as he accompanied Thousand Words on the walkover for the 146th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. In a season like no other, perhaps this would be a weekend like no other for a relatively small Iowa outfit that thinks big.

Two days before, Girl Daddy had given family patriarch Dennis Albaugh the ideal present on his 71st birthday by winning the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill. In doing so, she earned a fees-paid berth in the $2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and the first 10 qualifying points awarded for the 2021 Kentucky Oaks.

Only four races before the Derby, Sittin on Go had shown he was, indeed, sitting on go. The long shot rallied to win the Iroquois (G3). He secured a fees-paid berth in the $2 million Breeder's Cup Juvenile and the first 10 points available toward next year’s Run for the Roses.

Without the usual massive crowd because of the pandemic, Thousand Words was as cool as could be during the walkover, heightening Loutsch’s hopes. The handsome 3-year-old was coming off an upset victory against Honor A. P. in the Shared Belief at Del Mar. His works indicated he had seemingly come to hand at the perfect time for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

“I was thinking, ‘Maybe this is our weekend,’ ” Loutsch recalled.

And then it wasn’t.

There were a couple of futile attempts to saddle the former $1 million yearling as he walked. The colt, purchased in partnership with Spendthrift Farm, appeared to become increasingly irritated before he blew his cool, rearing and falling.

“It was just an unfortunate circumstance,” Loutsch said. “We don’t know exactly what happened or what spooked him. He’s always been a little bit of a head case saddling, for some unknown reason.”

Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s invaluable assistant, suffered a broken wrist during the episode. Loutsch, walking beside the fired-up 3-year-old, was grateful to be unscathed.

“It could have been a lot worse in the paddock,” he said. “He could have hurt some other people. It was a scary situation.” The paddock was much less crowded than usual for the Derby because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The fall automatically resulted in the horse being scratched, a rule the racing manager agrees with. “I was frustrated and upset, but I get the rule,” he said. “I understand you’ve got to do what’s best for the horse.”

Albaugh has seemingly been star-crossed on recent big days. Dennis’ Moment, a colt so filled with promise he was named in Dennis Albaugh’s honor, looked to be practically unbeatable in last year’s Juvenile.

And then he wasn’t.

“Any time you go to the Breeders’ Cup and you’re 3-5 on the first flash and it’s for 2-year-old champion in the Juvenile, you don’t get those opportunities too often,” Loutsch said. “That was one of the roughest racing days I ever had, just because he never even got to run.

“When he slipped and fell and went to his knees, it was over from the start. I can handle getting beat, but we never got to run that day. It was a tough pill to swallow.”

Racing, of course, is all about perseverance. Albaugh presses on.

Uninjured Thousand Words is being pointed toward the Oct. 3 Preakness at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Dennis’ Moment, after a freshening, resumed training with Dale Romans. Sittin On Go and Girl Daddy are exciting prospects that are expected to train up to the Breeders’ Cup.

“Honestly, 60 days isn’t the perfect timing for us,” Loutsch admitted. “But I just didn’t want to run another Grade 1 at Keeneland and come back in another Grade 1. I just think it’s asking too much of a 2-year-old after running a big race like he did and she did.”

The veteran Romans has called Girl Daddy “the best 2-year-old filly I ever trained.” The daughter of Uncle Mo was a $500,000 yearling purchase that captured the Pocahontas by two lengths.

Romans views Sittin On Go as a “serious racehorse.” The Brody’s Cause colt poured it on toward the end of the one-mile Iroquois for a 2 1/2-length decision. Albaugh had purchased him for $65,000 as a weanling, then turned around and set a reserve on him at that price when it offered him at Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale.

Albaugh retained Sittin On Go when bidding stopped at $62,000, a stroke of good luck for an operation that has endured wilder swings of fortune than most.