Dak Attack Back in Action in Mucho Macho Man

The year-end doldrums were starting to get to Jason Loutsch. 

Recent impressions can be the toughest ones to shake and after watching their grade 1-winner Free Drop Billy and stablemate Hollywood Star both finish off the board in the Nov. 4 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), the general manager for Albaugh Family Stables caught himself lamenting those setbacks rather than relishing what had come before.

Thankfully in Loutsch's case, he picked an ideal audience to vent his frustrations to—one that promptly reminded him how good his team had it heading into the 2018 season.

"At the end of the year, I was complaining about the Breeders' Cup and how bad we ran ... and I was talking with Bret Jones (of Airdrie Stud) who owns part of Dak Attack," Loutsch recalled. "He was like 'Do you understand the 2-year-old season you had? You got second in grade 2s ... you won a grade 1. Anyone in the country would love that.' 

"That's good perspective, because it was a great 2017 for our 2-year-olds. Hopefully they stay healthy and happy and we can place them in the right spots."

Having multiple classic prospects is indeed a luxury and on Jan. 6, the colt with as much potential as any currently carrying the Albaugh colors will try and add to that optimistic outlook. Unbeaten Dak Attack will make his first outing since being sidelined with a shin injury in September when he starts against seven others in the one-mile $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby is becoming old hat to the Albaugh team—a remarkable feat considering Dennis Albaugh's operation only purchased its first yearlings during the 2014 Keeneland September sale. They celebrated their first classic starter when multiple grade 1 winner Brody's Cause  finished seventh in the 2016 edition of the first leg of the Triple Crown and were back taking aim at the first Saturday of May last year with J Boys Echo.

While Free Drop Billy is the most proven of their current sophomore stock—courtesy of his victory in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in October—Dak Attack is very much in the running to claim star status within trainer Dale Romans' shedrow. The son of Ghostzapper  won both of his starts in 2017 in impressive fashion, breaking his maiden at first asking at Churchill Downs last June before taking the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes in August by three lengths.

A sore shin would manifest and snatch Breeders' Cup plans off the table for the bay colt, but Dak Attack was kept in light training throughout and returned to the workout tab in mid November.

"He's only run two times as a 2-year-old so we have to start a little earlier than we normally would with one of our 3 year olds but we have to get some miles in him and start the process," Loutsch said of Dak Attack, who Albaugh Family Stable co-owns along with Airdrie's Brereton Jones. "We felt like (the Mucho Macho Man) is a great spot to start. We were hoping to make the Remington (Springboard Mile Dec. 17)  but with the logistics and timing, it just didn't work out for us. We pushed it back to this race so it was kind of perfect timing for us to get kicked off for the 2018 season."

In his absence from race activity, Dak Attack has still managed to have his stock rise thanks to those around him. Sporting Chance, who was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by the former during that maiden win, came back to win the Hopeful Stakes (G1) by a neck over Free Drop Billy. 

Loutsch said signs of maturity are already being teased where Dak Attack is concerned. In addition to growing into his frame, the colt got serious in his most recent breeze Dec. 30 at Gulfstream Park when he easily bested his workmate during a bullet five-furlong drill in :59.06.

"I think that was the first time we've really asked him to get a good, good work in as far as timing and speed into him and he responded," Loutsch said. "The good thing is when he did have that shin injury, we gave him some time and he really did develop into a nice-looking 3-year-old. He's added some weight, some size so maybe it was a blessing that that happened.

"As a 2-year-old coming in and after his first couple races, I think he was probably going to be the star juvenile of our barn anyway. So it was a blow when we had to back off him, but we did the right thing, we gave him time. Hopefully it pays off for him."

Joining Dak Attack in the gate is Santiamen, who is also unbeaten in two starts. Trained by Antonio Sano, who also entered Forever Taken, the Santiamen will be making his first start beyond six furlongs after rallying from off the pace in his first two starts.

By Dialed In , Santiamen graduated by 6 3/4 lengths in his debut at Gulfstream Park West Nov. 24. The Florida-bred colt came back to win a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 21 at Gulfstream Park, rallying from fifth to score by a half-length.

"In his last race he threw a shoe," Sano said. "He's been training very good and I think the distance is going to be good for my horse."

Bal Harbour and Whereshetoldmetogo, who finished 1-2, respectively, in the Dec. 9 Smooth Air Stakes, are slated for a return in the Mucho Macho Man.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Bal Harbour returned off a nearly three-month layoff following a victory in the Sapling Stakees at Monmouth Park, to overcome bumping at the start to catch Whereshetoldmetogo by a neck.

Saturday's Gulfstream Park card will also feature the $100,000 Kitten's Joy Stakes for 3-year-olds and the $100,000 Ginger Brew Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, both at 7 1/2 furlongs on turf among five stakes worth $450,000 in purses on the 11-race program. They are joined by a pair of six-furlong sprint stakes for non-winners of a sweepstakes - the $75,000 Limehouse Stakes for 3-year-olds and the $75,000 Glitter Woman Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

John Oxley's Flameaway, a multiple stakes winner on the dirt, will attempt to transfer that form to the grass in the Kitten's Joy. The son of Scat Daddy won three of five races last year including an off-the-turf edition of the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3) in October at Keeneland.

Flameaway made his turf debut last out in the one-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) Nov. 3 at Del Mar, pressing the pace for a half-mile before weakening to eighth.

Treadway Racing Stable's Malibu Saint, four weeks after her come-from-behind half-length triumph in the Wait a While Stakes at Gulfstream, seeks her second straight stakes victory in the Ginger Brew.

Trained by Mike Maker, Malibu Saint sprung a 16-1 upset of the one-mile Wait a While despite encountering some trouble when bumped sideways by Golden Orb in deep stretch. It marked the stakes debut for Malibu Saint, a chestnut daughter of Malibu Moon  who won two of five starts as a juvenile.

Entries: Mucho Macho Man S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 06, 2018, Race 10

• STK
• 1m
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 4:37 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Coltandmississippi (KY)	Luis Saez	116	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1
2	2Forever Taken (KY)	Jesus M. Rios	116	Antonio Sano	20/1
3	3Dak Attack (KY)	Robby Albarado	120	Dale L. Romans	9/5
4	4Bal Harbour (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	9/2
5	5Santiamen (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	116	Antonio Sano	8/1
6	6Mask (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Chad C. Brown	2/1
7	7Handsome Franco (KY)	Juan C. Diaz	122	Alexis Cordero - Lopez	50/1
8	8Whereshetoldmetogo (MD)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Anthony Pecoraro	6/1

Entries: Kitten's Joy S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 06, 2018, Race 7

• STK
• About 7 1/2f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 3:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Flameaway (ON)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	Mark E. Casse	2/1
2	2Mojovation (KY)	John R. Velazquez	116	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
3	3Power of Attorney (KY)	Luis Saez	116	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	7/2
4	4Nauti Buoy (FL)	Albin Jimenez	120	Lilli Kurtinecz	30/1
5	5Fast Boat (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	116	Christophe Clement	5/2
6	6Renaisance Frolic (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	David Fawkes	20/1
7	7Speed Franco (KY)	Emisael Jaramillo	120	Gustavo Delgado	6/1
8	8Pony Up (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1

Entries: Ginger Brew S.

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 06, 2018, Race 9

• STK
• 7 1/2f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:06 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tropical Wave (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	116	George R. Arnold, II	15/1
2	2Golden Orb (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	116	Christophe Clement	6/1
3	3Closer Still (IRE)	Jose Lezcano	116	Mark E. Casse	5/1
4	4Queen Rose (KY)	Nik Juarez	116	Antonio Sano	30/1
5	5Thewayiam (FR)	Jose L. Ortiz	116	H. Graham Motion	3/1
6	6Malibu Saint (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Michael J. Maker	4/1
7	7Designing (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	116	Chad Summers	15/1
8	8Andina Del Sur (KY)	Joel Rosario	116	Thomas Albertrani	9/2
9	9Delamar (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Roger L. Attfield	8/1
10	10Crazy for Sofia (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	116	Antonio Sano	15/1