Not This Time

The first thing that will strike most people about the emergence of Epicenter on the Derby trail is the way only his second crop of sophomores is putting up in neon lights the name of Not This Time. The GII Risen Star S. winner is lighting a path for several other sons of the Taylor Made stallion, notably fast-closing GIII Holy Bull runner-up Simplification and Saturday's GII Rebel S. fancy Chasing Time. Two others, Howling Time and In Due Time, are learning their scripts in readiness for forthcoming rehearsals in...

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter (Not This Time) made up for his close call in the GIII Lecomte S. with a front-running score in the GII Risen Star S. at the Fair Grounds, moving him up in the GI Kentucky Derby points rankings. Winchell Thoroughbreds and winning trainer Steve Asmussen also teamed up to take this event in 2016 with future Horse of the Year Gun Runner. Away a breath slower than the rest, Epicenter quickly got his hooves beneath him and tugged his way up to the front under Joel Rosario....

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have Katierich Farms, a boutique breeding farm owned by Larry and Karen Doyle and located in Midway, Kentucky. Katierich president George Barnes said the farm not only boards and breeds for clients, but is also focused on developing their own high-quality broodmare band for the commercial market. ENHANCING (m, 14, Forestry--Heavenly Prize, by Seeking the Gold), to be bred to Blame Enhancing is a daughter of...

In this edition of our ongoing mating plans series, we spoke with Marie Jones with additional notes from Katie Taylor and Doug Cauthen. Marie Jones is carrying on the successful breeding program that she first started with her late husband Aaron. Their program is responsible for Grade I winners and champions including Ashado, Speightstown, Drosselmeyer and Mrs. McDougal, as well as the dam of Life is Good. Today, her high-end, boutique operation focuses on acquiring accomplished, well-bred mares and maintaining a portfolio of shares and breeding rights in proven commercial...

9th-Gulfstream, $54,000, Alw (NW1$X)/Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-4, 3yo, 1m, 1:35.97, ft, 5 3/4 lengths. IN DUE TIME (c, 3, Not This Time--Sweet Sweet Annie, by Curlin), a debut winner in the Monmouth mud July 18, returned from the bench to finish third, beaten 4 1/2 lengths, behind the two-for-two Dean's List (Speightstown) going six furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 8. In Due Time fired a five-furlong bullet in 1:00 1/5 (1/19) at Palm Meadows Jan. 28 and meant business at an overlooked 10-1 here. Drawn on the rail, he traveled nicely...

Florida horsewoman Tami Bobo has picked out a number of sales prospects that eventually became elite racehorses. Speech (Mr. Speaker), a filly Bobo pinhooked as a weanling for $65,000 who later sold for $190,000 as a 2-year-old, won the 2020 GI Ashland S. Lazy Daisy (Paynter), just a $2,000 weanling, went to the Breeders' Cup in 2019. Both were preceded by Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), a colt Bobo purchased privately in 2010 when he RNA'd for $80,000. After breaking and training him herself, she stayed in for a small...

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have owner/breeder, chef, and restaurateur Bobby Flay. SUPER ESPRESSO (m, 15, Medaglia d'Oro--Amizette, by Forty Niner), to be bred to Not This Time One of the hottest, proven sires of the new generation. Can infuse natural speed into this regally bred family of Courtly Dee. TIZAHIT (m, 15, Tiznow--Never a No Hitter, by Kris S.), to be bred to Curlin The mare has already produced a...

A season by last year's leading second crop sire Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) has been added to the select session of the Thoroughbred Charities of America Annual Stallion Season Auction. The Taylor Made Farm stallion will be among 10 select seasons--including Bolt d'Oro, Charlatan, City of Light, Constitution, Liam's Map, Maxfield (with 2023 breed back), Nyquist (with 2023 breed back), Quality Road, and Yaupon (with 2023 breed back)--that will be sold at the 'Tis the Seasons Celebration Sunday, Jan. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Grand Reserve in Lexington, Kentucky....

Simplification (Not This Time) became the 17th stakes winner and third in the last six days for his in-form sire with a convincing victory in this first step on the road to the GI Florida Derby and--perhaps--beyond. An even fourth on his 5 1/2-furlong debut on the synthetic track Oct. 1, the bay overwhelmed a group of Florida-bred maidens by 16 3/4 lengths Oct. 23, good for a 92 Beyer. He couldn't put them back to back, faltering to be third at long odds-on Nov. 13, but had his fair...

As a year of unprecedented achievement draws to a close, the distribution of laurels among our champion stallions must first and foremost celebrate their sheer potency. For while we already know Into Mischief to be a phenomenon, he demands fresh admiration in sealing his third consecutive general sires' championship with a prizemoney haul just shy of $25 million, shattering the $22,507,940 record he set in his second; the work of 260 winners, similarly raising the bar giddily on the 221 who compiled his first. As the revelation of the year,...

A four-length winner at Indiana Grand Sept. 27, North County added a Keeneland allowance in a sloppy off-turfer Oct. 30. Second choice Sunday afternoon at 7-2, the Shadow Pond Stable-bred rated in a three-deep third into the first turn in the wake of a dawdling pace. The tempo quickened as noses pointed toward home and North County was shaken up leaving the bend. It took most of the stretch, but she clawed past Fannie and Freddie in the final few jumps to remain undefeated and collect a first black-type rosette....

This can be a terrifying business. Here we are, for the first time in this series, assessing stallions that have at least put some sophomores through the starting gate. And already, commercially, the game appears to be up for many. So much so, in fact, that to give adequate competitive depth to our value podium, we're going to combine the consecutive intakes who were in 2021 respectively contesting the second- and third-crop championships. Here's just one example of how ruthless the market is. I won't name the stallion, because he...