Dennis' Moment gives connections second chance in Breeders' Cup Juvenile

Perhaps, now is the time.

Three years ago, owner Dennis Albaugh and trainer Dale Romans brought Not This Time to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. At that time, Romans said Not This Time had the potential to be the best horse he ever trained.

Not This Time was beaten a neck by Classic Empire in the Juvenile, emerged from the race with an injury, and never raced again.

This year, when the Breeders’ Cup returns to Santa Anita for the 10th time, Albaugh and Romans also will be returning with another top contender for the $2 million Juvenile in Dennis’ Moment.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s top contenders

Dennis’ Moment, a son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow, shows a profile similar to Not This Time’s. Dennis’ Moment, in his second start, dominated a maiden race at Ellis Park by 19 1/4 lengths. Not This Time won his maiden at Ellis by 10 lengths in his second start.

Whereas Not This Time romped to an 8 3/4-length victory in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs, Dennis’ Moment won the Grade 3 Iroquois by 1 3/4 lengths.

“This horse is right there with [Not This Time], in the same league,” Romans said. “His temperament – he acts like he’s a good horse. Everything about him is just natural, sound, smooth. He’s just naturally a good horse.”

The Iroquois earned Dennis’ Moment an expenses-paid trip to the Breeders’ Cup. Romans is tentatively planning to send him to California on Oct. 20, which would be in time to get a workout over Santa Anita’s main track.

Dennis’ Moment’s competition will be learned over the next eight days, with three Grade 1 stakes – all Win and You’re In races – to be run at three venues.

The strength of the West Coast division will be known following Friday’s Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah at Santa Anita. The 1 1/16-mile race has brought together many of the top maiden-winning juveniles from the summer’s Del Mar meet.

Express Train and Eight Rings are at the top of the list. Eight Rings beat Express Train by 6 1/4 lengths on Aug. 4. Express Train came back to win his maiden by 14 1/4 lengths in a two-turn mile maiden race on Aug. 28. Eight Rings, meanwhile, ducked in at the break of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, bumped with Storm the Court, and unseated jockey Drayden Van Dyke.

Van Dyke was injured, but Eight Rings was not. John Velazquez is flying cross-country to ride Eight Rings in the American Pharoah, named for the 2015 Triple Crown winner who had to scratch from the 2014 Juvenile with an injury. Eight Rings, like American Pharoah, is trained by Bob Baffert.

Express Train, by 2011 BC Juvenile runner-up Union Rags, could not have been any more impressive winning his maiden under Mike Smith for John Shirreffs.

American Theorem, a son of American Pharoah, was sharp in his 5 1/2-furlong debut victory.

The presence of those maiden winners overshadows the presence of stakes winners Nucky (Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity), Fore Left (Tremont), and Collusion Illusion (Grade 2 Best Pal) in the American Pharoah.

On Oct. 5, there will be two more Win and You’re In races for the Juvenile. At Keeneland, Hopeful winner Basin and impressive second-out winner Tap It To Win head what figures to be a large field in the Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity. The same day, Belmont Park hosts the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, a race that is expected to attract Saratoga Special winner Green Light Go and maiden winners Alpha Sixty Six, Gozilla, and Three Technique.

On Wednesday, Green Light Go worked a solid seven furlongs in 1:27.28 over the Belmont Park training track.