It’s Time to Talk About Not This Time

When superstar sire Giant’s Causeway died in 2018 it rocked the breeding world. The three time leading North American sire had been that rare horse who was both a champion in the racing world and a champion in the breeding shed. He was Europe’s Horse of the Year in 2000 when, as a three year old he reeled off five straight group one victories in the span of only eleven weeks. After a second place finish in his final European race he was sent to America to contest the Breeders’ Cup Classic and in his first start on the dirt he finished just a neck behind Tiznow. He was also a group one winning two year old. Overall he was never worse than second in his thirteen race career which saw him earn over $3,000,000.

Giant’s Causeway was an instant success at stud, siring eight group or graded winners in his first two crops including four winners at the top level. His best runner from his first crop was multiple group one winner Shamardal who would go on to have a stellar stud career before passing away unexpectedly this year. Yet in North America Giant’s Causeway’s best sons were not able to follow in his footsteps at stud. Multiple grade one winner First Samurai from his second crop was solid and he was follwed by decent, but not great sons like Creative Causeway and perhaps his best sire-son Eskendereya. When the Giant passed away it seemed as if his legacy would not be carried on outside of Europe.

All of that has changed. In 2016 a brilliant son of Giant’s Causeway named Not This Time turned the heads of the racing world. After an unplaced effort in a sprint debut he dominated a one mile maiden special weight, winning by ten lengths while geared down in the stretch. Despite that his final eighth of a mile was a sub twelve seconds. He followed that up with an even more impressive eight and three quarter length win in the Grade Three Iroquois Stakes. Off of those two efforts he was made the favorite in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile. He was facing off against budding star Classic Empire who also entered off a strong performance in Kentucky, in his case winning the Grade One Breeders’ Futurity. Those two colts took the majority of the money in the Breeders’ Cup and they didn’t disappoint. The more experienced Classic Empire had a very good trip and used that experience to his advantage while Not This Time had a less than ideal trip but ran a huge race. The two hooked up for a stretch duel for the ages with Classic Empire prevailing by a neck over Not This Time. The third place finisher, multiple grade one winner Practical Joke was over seven lengths behind those two. In the race Not This Time earned a 4 ¾ Ragozin figure (which factors in trip and lengths lost) which was faster than Classic Empire was assigned and the fastest for any two year old of 2016. That number was also the fastest Ragozin run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile since Uncle Mo. Both colts earned 102 Beyers and 0 Thorograph ratings, also the highest of each number earned by any two year old of 2016.

Not This Time exited the race with a soft tissue injury that would end his career. One can only imagine what he might have done in that race were it not for the bad trip and ending the race injured (although Classic Empire was no slouch and you can take nothing away from his tenacity in holding off his rival at the end). Not This Time came from a very well thought of female family. His dam Miss Lacy Sue was a daughter of Trippi who was an ultra fast graded winning sprinter. Although she did win at the graded level perhaps her best race was a third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Miss Macy Sue’s first foal was a filly by A.P. Indy who was retained by her breeder who believed she had potential but she never got a chance to show it on the racetrack due to injury. Her second foal was a striking Unbridled’s Song colt who brought $800,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Even with the high price tag breeder Dennis Albaugh of Albaugh Family Stable regretted selling the colt who was later named Liam’s Map and became a Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner. After another filly foal the striking Giant’s Causeway colt was foaled. Albaugh decided he would not have regret by selling the colt, saying “not this time” and the colt got his name. Miss Macy Sue descends tail female from the great mare Ta Wee a two time champion sprinter and half sister to the brilliant Dr. Fager. Ta Wee’s best foal was the speedy Great Above who is the broodmare sire of Miss Macy Sue, making her inbred to Ta Wee 3×4. Although this family is known for speed Great Above’s best son was Horse of the Year Holy Bull who famously carried his speed to a mile and a quarter in the Grade One Travers Stakes. Not This Time obviously had no trouble going a mile and a sixteenth and ran like a horse who could go even longer even though he never got a chance to try it.

He entered stud in 2017 for a fee of $15,000. That seemed a reasonable fee for a horse who showed more potential than deep race record. Even though his pedigree had strong points again Giant’s Causeway did not have a reputation as a sire of sires. His fee would drop to $12,500 for later crops which is what he stood for through 2019. In 2020 that fee will jump to $40,000 based on the strength of his first two year olds. A few weeks ago this writer took on the phenomenal Nyquist who, at the time was the leading freshman sire of 2020. Since that writing Not This Time has taken over at the top of the list by progeny earnings (although the two sires will likely duel for the title through the end of the year). Not This Time’s leading runner is grade one winner Princess Noor who took the Grade One Delmar Debutante at seven furlongs and most recently the Grade Two Chandelier Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth. She will enter the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as one of, if not the favorite. Not This Time has also sired a listed winner and a grade three placed filly. But his strength is really in the depth of his success. He has sired seventeen winners as of this writing, seven more than his rival Nyquist. He also has four black type horses to his rival’s three, although Nyquist does have two grade one winners to Not This Time’s one.

Not This Time stands at Taylor Made Stud which has managed his books very successfully. While most stallions see big drop offs in the number of foals in their second and third crops Taylor Made has done well attracting mares to Not This Time through those usually lean years. Also the mares Not This Time have included some high quality mares. Tops among them include a coup this year by attracting Broodmare of the Year Leslie’s Lady (dam of Beholder, Into Mischief and Mendelssohn). Overall the future looks very bright for Not This Time.

As an aside Giant’s Causeway may have another chance at a top sire from another Albaugh Stables runner Brody’s Causeway. A grade one winning two year old Brody’s Causeway is currently in the top ten leading freshman sires and ties with Not This Time with two black type winners and four black type horses from significantly fewer foals and runners. Giant’s Causeway’s 2019 Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar also has a chance to become a leading sire in Japan where dirt racing has become more popular in recent years although turf racing is still dominant. The future certainly looks different for the Giant’s Causeway sireline in 2020 than it did upon his death.