LEXINGTON, Ky. – Troubleshooting has been hitting most of his shots as of late, and so has sire Not This Time.
Troubleshooting held off Tenacious Leader by a neck in the Grade 3, $600,000 Bryan Station Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf on closing day Saturday at Keeneland. The two colts led home the superfecta of Giocoso and Dream On, all sired by Not This Time, who bookended a stellar Keeneland fall meet in historic fashion.
Not This Time, an Albaugh Family Stables homebred who stands at Taylor Made Farm, also swept the trifecta in the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes on opening day, with Imaginationthelady the winner. Only five stallions have swept the trifecta in a graded stakes race in North America since 2000, and Not This Time is now the only stallion to do so twice in that span.
Not This Time, who was the sire of seven of the 12 starters in the Bryan Station, is also the sire at this Keeneland fall meet of Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile winner Rhetorical, Grade 2 Bourbon winner Final Score, and Grade 2 Franklin winner Time to Dazzle.
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Troubleshooting ($9.76), who is trained by Greg Foley for Donamire Farm, has won three of his last four starts - and is just a nose away from being perfect in this span. He won his stakes debut, the Dade Park Dash, in July at Ellis Park before being beaten by a nose in an allowance race on that course. He then won the Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson on Sept. 6 at Kentucky Downs.
"It's been a great ride," Foley said.
Troubleshooting tracked the pace of Golden Afternoon - who had been second in the Franklin-Simpson - in second through the first turn and down the backstretch of Saturday's one-mile tilt. He forged his way to the lead in upper stretch under Tyler Gaffalione, then held sway at the line as Tenacious Leader made a final late surge from fourth.
The time for the mile on firm turf was 1:35.78.
"I'm glad the Breeders' Cup is here next year," Foley said. "We just were talking about it, before today, even, that he could take us, and if he's doing well, maybe we could have a shot at it next year... He just gets better all the time."
* Earlier in the day, the well-bred Gallivant ($6.72) drew off to win by six lengths in a field of four for the $250,000 Bowman Mill Stakes for 2-year-olds sprinting six furlongs. He stopped the clock in 1:11.17 on the fast main track.
Gallivant, who had Luan Machado in the irons for trainer Ben Colebrook, broke his maiden in stylish fashion after being third on debut earlier in this meet. The son of leading sire Into Mischief is out of Fancy Dress Party, won multiple times at Keeneland, including a victory in the Grade 3 Beaumont.
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