Not This Time Achieves Ranking Milestone

Having a sire with staying power is something every breeder, owner, and stud farm dreams. And, yes, sires such as Into Mischief, who annually dominate the standings based on progeny earnings, which is the measure this space uses to rank sires, are the rarest of the rare. But they don't magically become the gold standard. Stallions earn their way to the top. A sire who potentially fits that bill is Not This Time. He makes his first-ever foray into the top five (No. 4) of the general sires list based on progeny earnings. He finished last year ranked 13th, his previous best was eighth in 2023. To understand how difficult it is to be a top sire and maintain that status, consider this: Since 2020 (the current rankings count for 2025), there have been 14 sires ranked in the top five. Of those 14, only three have done so more than twice. Into Mischief appeared six times, Curlin five times, and Gun Runner four times. So, as Not This Time makes his top 5 debut, it's another milestone as the Thoroughbred industry continues to witness the rise of an elite sire. Travis White, vice president of Taylor Made Stallions, where Not This Time stands, said that there are several factors playing in the sire's favor. After finishing as the third-leading freshman sire of 2020, Not This Time topped the second-crop sires' list of 2021. In 2022, he only built on that success with his progeny earning approximately $7.5 million more than the previous year. Those strong years would see the quality of mares filling his book improve. Also, the quantity grew. White said in just a few short years, Not This Time's book went from the upper 70s to 214 this year. He said the successes of 2022 proved the turning point. "Getting breeders involved that really hadn't bred to the horse in the past," White said of a key to the upswing. "He's kind of done enough with his first few crops that we saw the stud fee jump from $12,500 to $45,000 after his first crop of 2-year-olds." This year, the stud fee was $175,000. The quality of mares is also resulting in a deep pipeline of talented runners. They are beginning to come in waves for Not This Time, who already sired two champions in Epicenter and Up to the Mark, showing his ability to throw both top-level dirt and grass runners. That versatility has made Not This Time attractive to those who don't want to feel beholden to one surface. "What he does, in my mind, is that, if the horse doesn't turn out to be great on dirt, (owners and trainers) can kind of pivot, whether it's turf or synthetic," White said. "I think they've proven they can do that." Not This Time's top earners so far this year include Kentucky Derby (G1) fourth Final Gambit; Travers Stakes (G1)-placed Magnitude; Penn Mile Stakes (G3T) winner Dream On; Secretariat Stakes (G2T) victor Giocoso; and Goal Oriented, who was third in the Haskell Stakes (G1) and fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1). But it is Not This Time's crop of 2-year-olds that has White excited. Among all sires, Not This Time is tops in this class. He leads with 15 winners and more than $1M in earnings, led by Cy Fair, who was recently second in the Bolton Landing Stakes. "He's in a spot where he could really, really take off here in the next three or four years with just the quality (of mares). …. His comparative index for this year, we ran a report and it's like 5.54," White said. "The next highest he's ever had before that was in '24 (and it) was like 3.72."