Friday’s Jessamine S. (G2) at Keeneland was dominated by a trio of Not This Time 2-year-old fillies, with Imaginationthelady getting the one-length victory over Infinite Sky, who nosed out third-place finisher Time To Dream to complete to Not This Time trifecta.
Imaginationthelady’s victory also earned her an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) Oct. 31 at Del Mar.
Imaginationthelady, who won at first asking Sept. 4 at Kentucky Downs, made her way from post 11 over into the two-path as the field rounded the first turn. Lit Ship dictated the pace for six furlongs, with Imaginationthelady in fifth between horses. She moved out wider coming into the stretch and collared Lit Ship with a furlong to run, then held sway over the 2-3 finishers, who both finished strongly from the back of the pack.
“I was quietly confident,” said trainer Brendan Walsh. “We liked her before she ran the first time, and she won, and she’s been improving since. So it was a question of how much she was improving–typical 2-year-old– but she ran a very nice race [today]. [Jockey] Frankie [Dettori] was able to wait as long as he could, and like he said, he gave her a good education, and I’m sure that will stand her down the line.”
Imaginationthelady, who is owned by Mark Dobbin and was bred in Kentucky by Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables, is the 29th lifetime graded stakes winner for Not This Time. The Taylor Made stallion leads all North American sires in 2025 with 10.22% of graded stakes horses from starters.
