Not This Time’s 2-year-old filly North County won for the third time in as many starts in Sunday’s $100,000 Untappable S. at Fair Grounds, surging past Fannie and Freddie in deep stretch to win the 1 mile and 70 yard contest by a neck.
This was the first stakes win for the 2-year-old filly, who won her debut by four lengths in late September, then took a Keeneland allowance on Oct. 30. She has earned $132,000 for owners Rebecca Hillen, Stonecrest Farm and Bruno De Julio.
North County got the victory despite a three-wide trip on both turns. She sat a about three lengths off the pace until making her move at the top of the long stretch. Fannie and Freddie was up by three lengths with a furlong to run, but North County would not give up and caught her just before the wire.
The victory earned the dark bay 10 qualifying points for next year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1).
“She showed a lot of heart today which is impressive,” assistant trainer Paul Madden said. “She had been training really good and Brendan (trainer Walsh) was anxious to put her in a spot like this to see if she could fit in this company, and thankfully we do. She’s a filly that is going to get stronger as well and I think there’s more to come from her. She is very talented, has a good mind and wants to win races.”
As far as her next start, it will be presumably at Fair Grounds on Jan. 22 in the Silverbulletday S.
“It will come down to some discussions with Brendan, but there is a reason why he stables here and now we as owners now have a reason to look forward to those big races,” said Brian Reed, representing Stonecrest Farm. “Ideally she will stay here and run in the next race in the series.”
North County was bred in Kentucky by Shadow Pond Stable and is one of five winners out of her stakes-winning dam Northern Netti.
North County’s victory was the first of two consecutive Fair Grounds stakes winners on the Dec. 26 card for not this time, coming about 30 minutes before Epicenter won the $100,000 Gun Runner S. Not This Time leads the 2021 Second-Crop Sire list with over $5.4 million in progeny earnings.
