Hopeful Princess First Winner for Not This Time

Graded stakes winner Not This Time  had his first winner when his daughter Hopeful Princess scored on debut May 21 at Churchill Downs. The 2-year-old filly completed 4 1/2 furlongs on a fast main track in :51.26, defeating Mad Maddy by three-quarters of a length.

Trained by John Hancock for Jackie Huckabay, Imaginary Stables, and Donna Hancock, Hopeful Princess pressed the pace in second with Corey Lanerie aboard while Mad Maddy, an American Pharoah  filly, set fractions of :22.33 and :45.03 through a half-mile.

On the outside, Hopeful Princess ($7.80) came off the turn for home with a determined bid for the lead, and Mad Maddy did her best to hold on but was passed in late stretch. The pair opened a 6 1/2-length advantage on third-place Tequila Queen.

Hopeful Princess was bred in Kentucky by Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm, which consigned her to last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but she went unsold on a final bid of $27,000. She is the third winner from four foals to race out of the More Than Ready  mare More Than Magic.

Standing at Taylor Made Stallions for a 2020 fee of $12,500, Not This Time was a precocious 2-year-old who won two of his first three starts, including the Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs for trainer Dale Romans. After finishing second in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), however, the son of Giant's Causeway was retired with a career-ending soft tissue injury to his right front leg.

Bred and raced by Albaugh Family Stables out of the Trippi mare Miss Macy Sue, Not This Time is a half brother to grade 1 winner and Lane's End sire Liam's Map , whom Albaugh sold as a yearling for $800,000. Liam's Map won all but two of his eight starts, including the 2015 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).