Dale Romans

Not his time yet, surely. Can't be. A son of two-turn titan Giant's Causeway; a half-brother to late-blooming Liam's Map. Yet there it is, in black and white: three starters, two winners. Hopeful Princess hurtling just 4 1/2 furlongs at Churchill last week; and Swaggy George at Gulfstream the next day, circling the field into the stretch and sprinting four lengths clear. So while these remain the very earliest of days, Not This Time could not have made a more auspicious start to his stud career. On the one hand,...

A live bugler played a first-race call to post that echoed and reverberated in front of a cavernously empty grandstand, and track announcer Travis Stone preceded his season-opening call with the declaration that "Better late than never, they're in the gate at Churchill Downs." But once the horses were off and running for Saturday's 11-race card, a sense of business-as-usual settled in--at least as defined by the new normalcy terms of spectator-free, pandemic-era racing in America. "It was surreal. I watched the first race of the season from the infield...

2nd-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 3-8, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.67, ft. FOUR GRANDS (f, 3, Honor Code--Taylor S {SW & GSP, $121,519}, by Medaglia d'Oro), backed down to 8-5 favoritism into the face of a pricey Todd Pletcher firster, ran to her backing Sunday for a facile debut victory at Gulfstream against a field of all fellow first timers. Off a half-step slowly from the outside six slot, the bay was pushed along by Luis Saez to chase in third outside of aforementioned Pletcher representative Maggie Fitz (Ghostzapper). She made an early...

For only having raced four times thus far, Albaugh Family Stables' Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) has already had a roller coaster's worth of twists and turns in his career. Two brilliant victories paired with two disastrous starts in his 2-year-old season have established dichotomous perceptions of the imposing bay colt. Saturday at Gulfstream Park, he will get a chance to solidify himself as a top contender for the GI Kentucky Derby when making his highly-anticipated 3-year-old debut as a likely heavy favorite in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. Unveiled...

Dennis Albaugh didn't want to spend $1 million to acquire Thousands Words (Pioneerof the Nile) at the 2018 Keeneland September sale. Albaugh is among the wealthiest people in the sport, but even he has a comfort zone, and says he normally doesn't go beyond $400,000. But, if you want something special, you have to pay for it. And Albaugh and his team of advisors thought Thousand Words was the kind of can't-miss prospect every owner yearns to have. "Normally, we try to find horses in the $200,000 to $400,000 range,"...

4th-GP, $50K, Msw, 4yo/up, 6 1/2f, 2:31 p.m. ET Albaugh Family Stables, which will start likely GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S. favorite Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) this Saturday at Gulfstream, also has action Thursday in Hallandale Beach, as they debut the expensive and well-related COASTAL DEFENSE (Curlin) in the day's fourth event. Owned in partnership with Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust, the chestnut hammered for $800,000 at Keeneland September in 2017 and is a half-brother to MG1SW Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy), as well as the Albaughs' GISW Free Drop Billy (Union...

It's been nearly four months since Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) was last seen finishing last in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the result of a bad stumble at the start. That's not the way anyone wants to go into their 3-year-old season, but nothing that he has seen from Dennis' Moment has lessened the enthusiasm trainer Dale Romans has for his horse. "At this stage going into the Derby, I think he's probably the best prospect I've ever had," Romans said. "I've had a lot of good ones and I've had...

Albaugh Family Stables LLC's 'TDN Rising Star' Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) breezed five furlongs in 1:00.22 (4/35) at Gulfstream Park Saturday in preparation for a planned 2020 debut in the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Feb. 29. The GIII Iroquois S. winner stumbled badly at the start and was a non-factor eighth as the 4-5 favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita Nov. 1. "Everything went well, exactly what we were looking for," trainer Dale Romans said. "He hasn't missed a beat. His progression has been great. He's...

The defections of two of favorites Omaha Beach (War Front) and Spun to Run (Hard Spun) saw Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. lose some of its star appeal, however, a solid group of graded stakes winners will try and collect the lion's share of the $3-million purse. Trainer John Sadler, who finished third in this race last season with 2018 Champion Older Horse Accelerate in 2019, offers the talented but at times unlucky Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro), who breaks from post 6. Knocking on the door to bigger...

Shackleford (Forestry--Oatsee, by Unbridled), the 2011 GI Preakness S. winner, has been sold to continue his stud career in Korea, officials at Darby Dan Farm confirmed Thursday afternoon. Bred and raced by Mike Lauffer and Bill Cubbedge and trained by Dale Romans, the blaze-faced chestnut defied big odds to finish second in the GI Florida Derby and set the majority of the pace in the GI Kentucky Derby before settling for a close fourth-place effort. He defeated Derby winner Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) two weeks later and would go on...

When Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) romped to a 19 1/4-length maiden victory at Ellis Park Saturday, the performance drew obvious comparisons to another Albaugh Family Stables runner who graduated impressively at the Henderson oval three years ago. Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) carried the operation's blue and white silks to a 10-length maiden score in August of 2016. He went on to add an 8 3/4-length win in the GIII Iroquois S. and came up just a neck short of champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile) when second in the GI...

Dennis' Moment (Tiznow) went wire-to-wire in impressive fashion at Ellis Park Saturday afternoon to become a TDN Rising Star for trainer Dale Romans and the Albaugh Family Stables. The well-regarded Dennis' Moment was given ample support at 5-2 in his career debut going five furlongs at Churchill Downs June 23, but he clipped heels, unseating rider Robby Albarado and failing to finish the race. Coming into this off a pair of inspiring morning works, including a five-furlong bullet move in :59 flat at Churchill July 15, the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga...