Taylor Made Stallions’ Not This Time became the first North American freshman stallion to sire a winner when Hopeful Princess scored a determined victory in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs on Thursday in her career debut.
With Corey Lanerie riding for trainer John Hancock, Hopeful Princess came out running from post position No. 2. She raced just off the early pace of Mad Maddy, engaged that one in the lane, and outfought her rival to the wire to prevail by three-quarters of a length in a promising bow. It was another 6 ½ lengths back to third-place finisher Tequila Queen. Hopeful Princess stopped the clock for the 4 ½ furlongs in :51.26.
Owned by Jackie Huckaby, Imaginary Stables, and Donna Hancock, Kentucky-bred Hopeful Princess sported a strong work tab ahead of her first start, including a bullet four-furlong move of :48 flat at Keeneland in April.
Bred in Kentucky by Elm Tree Farm, Hopeful Princess is produced from the More Than Ready mare More Than Magic, a half-sister to Graded stakes winner Street Magician.
Not This Time, a leading juvenile of his crop, was a romping winner of the 2016 Iroquois Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, a valiant runner-up in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) as the race favorite, and is a half-brother to Liam’s Map, winner of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and a leading second-crop sire this year. Not This Time is the most brilliant 2-year-old ever by sire of sires Giant’s Causeway, and he is out of the Trippi mare Miss Macy Sue, a Graded stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup-placed near millionaire earner of $880,915.