Expectations high for Not This Time
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With 2-year-olds, there’s always hope. That’s one reason Dale Romans is so high on Not This Time – not to mention the trainer’s natural inclination to give his horses a great benefit of doubt.
“He might be one of the best I’ve ever hard,” Romans said. “He’s got all the makings.”
Not This Time, a 10-length winner of an Aug. 12 maiden race at Ellis Park, will be among the favorites when he starts from the outside post in a field of eight in the Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes, one of four stakes on a terrific Saturday card at Churchill Downs.
As the 11-day September meet gets under way Friday at his hometown track, Romans is looking for a productive final third to a 2016 that has been mostly disappointing, at least by his lofty standards. Romans won the 2012 Eclipse Award for top trainer with 20 graded stakes victories and $11.8 million in stable earnings. So far this year, Romans has three graded stakes wins and $3.4 million.
Not This Time, bred and owned by the Albaugh family of Iowa, is so named because the Albaughs had some pangs of regret after selling the colt’s older brother Liam’s Map, who went on to win the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
“They’re keeping him, all right,” Romans said. “He won by 10 in a gallop, he’s by Giant’s Causeway, and he’s doing everything the right way. Everybody’s really excited about him.”
The Iroquois, along with its sister race, the Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas, both will be run at 1 1/16 miles and offer Win and You’re In berths to the Nov. 4-5 Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita and qualifying points (10 to the winners) toward the Kentucky Derby and Oaks next spring.
Special first post for the 11-race Saturday card is 2:30 p.m. Eastern, with the last race going at 7:29.
From the rail out, the field for the Iroquois (race 8): Lookin At Lee, Honor Thy Father, Skinflint, Thirstforlife, Blame Will, Just Move On, Recruiting Ready, and Not This Time.
The Pocahontas (race 10): Bling On the Music, Dream Dancing, I’mluckysgirl, Jet Away Sue, Jordan’s Henny, Someday Soon, One Thirty One, Ever So Clever, Daddys Lil Darling, and Sully’s Dream.
The other two stakes on Saturday, the Locust Grove and Open Mind, go as races 3 and 9, respectively.