Works at OBS Further Enhance Not This Time's Reputation

Taylor Made Stallions' freshman sire Not This Time  didn't necessarily need to have his progeny blazing around the Ocala Breeders' Sales track during the week-long under tack show for the June 9-12 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

The 6-year-old son of Giant's Causeway already captured potential buyers' attention last month when he got his first two winners in two days, May 21-22, at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park, respectively. Not This Time has two winners from four starters through June 6 and is the leading freshman sire with $74,800 in progeny earnings.

Nonetheless, his entrants in the OBS sale put an exclamation point on the performance of those early winners by delivering the fastest work at a quarter-mile and one of 16 one-furlong works under :10.

Hip 1254, a filly out of Sheza Smoke Show (Wilko), flew through a quarter-mile June 1, stopping the timer in :20 1/5.

"She's one of those freaky horses that don't come around very often," said Torie Gladwell with consignor Top Line Sales. "We knew she was fast and thought she would maybe go :20 3/5 or :20 4/5. We had no idea she would go :20 1/5. I haven't had a filly this talented in a couple of years, so it's exciting."

With her first three dams being black-type winners, Top Line's filly had originally been aimed at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select 2-year-old sale, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sheza Smoke Show is a grade 3 winner who has already produced a winner.

Not This Time's other speedster is Hip 869, a filly out of the Gold Fever stakes-placed daughter Chilling Effect who is consigned by Harris Training Center. The chestnut filly worked an eighth-mile in :09 4/5. Chilling Effect is a multiple stakes producer already.

Harris' sale filly is a half sister to multiple stakes winner Archidust (Verrazano), stakes-placed/black-type producer Bach Hamilton (Cherokee Run), and stakes-placed broodmare Chilling Command (Master Command).

Not This Time has 21 horses still entered in the OBS sale. They include 12 juveniles that worked a furlong in an average of :10 1/5. The remaining nine that worked a quarter-mile averaged :21 2/5.

To see precocious speed from Not This Time's progeny surprises no one. Raced as a homebred for Albaugh Family Stables, he won the Iroquois Stakes (G3) in his third start and finished his juvenile campaign with a second in the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) to Classic Empire . He came out of the Breeders' Cup with a soft tissue injury to his right front leg that ended his racing career.

Taylor Made Stallions acquired a 50% interest in Not This Time, who is a half brother to top-six second-crop sire Liam's Map  (Unbridled's Song), the winner of the 2015 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), and to graded-placed black-type winner Taylor S. His dam, Miss Macy Sue, is a grade 3 winner by Trippi and is line-bred to champion Ta Wee.

"You can't put a lot of stock in the April and May races with so much more to come, but it is great to see them out there showing some grit and winning in different ways," Taylor Made stallion nominations manager Travis White said of Not This Time's first winners.

Hopeful Princess earned the honor as Not This Time's first winner after prevailing in a gritty 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight May 21 at Churchill Downs. Bred in Kentucky by Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm, the filly is out of the More Than Ready daughter More Than Magic, a half sister to grade 3 winner Street Magician . Hopeful Princess was a $27,000 buyback at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and now races in the name of the late Dr. Jackie Huckabay, Imaginary Stables, and Donna Hancock. The filly is trained by John Hancock.

The next day, Not This Time's son Swaggy George displayed eye-catching acceleration in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park. The colt was second to last as the field approached the turn when jockey Edgard Zayas swung to the outside and swept past all challengers through the turn and went straight to the front. The colt won by four lengths in a final time of 1:00.

Swaggy George was bred in Kentucky by Frank Dunham out of the Elusive Quality mare Ottaviano, who is a full sister to multiple graded-placed winner Smart N Pretty. The family also has produced graded stakes winners Krisada and Ancient Secret, and black-type winners Conte Di Savoya, and Admonition.

Swaggy George was a buyback as well. The colt was bought back on a final bid of $48,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale and then was bought back again on a final bid of $7,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is now raced by J Stables and trained by Antonio Sano.

"We were actually hoping to get some attention from the baby races at Keeneland and the 2-year-old sales, but those didn't happen. Still, the reports from the Florida pinhookers have been good, and he's the kind of horse pinhookers like—big, stretchy, leggy, two-turn-looking kinds of horses," White said. "John (Hancock) seems to think the filly will carry on with more distance, and the reports on the colt is that he'll do well with more distance, too. It's a long way to go, still, but we like the spot we're in."

Those early reports heading into the OBS Spring sale helped increase Not This Time's number of trips to the breeding shed this year. Not This Time, who entered stud at $15,000, bred 145 mares his first year at stud in 2017, 129 mares in 2018, and 87 mares last year. White said he expects the stallion will end up covering 140 mares this year. He now stands for $12,500.