Time to Dazzle shone once again in the Franklin Stakes to complete a spectacular double
The daughter of Not This Time repeated her 2025 victory in the Keeneland stakes, this time edging Kehoe Beach by a nose with a formidable late rally. Irad Ortiz Jr. climbed aboard for the first time and proved decisive in unleashing her powerful final acceleration
LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).— Time to Dazzle chose the same stage to rediscover victory, and she did it in the manner she knows best: rallying from deep off the pace. One year after her inaugural conquest in the Franklin Stakes (G2), the daughter of Not This Time once again captured the turf sprint feature for fillies and mares held this Sunday at Keeneland, though this time she had to dig down to the final stride to nip Kehoe Beach (Omaha Beach) by a mere nose.
Carrying the colors of Tracy Farmer and trained by Mark Casse, she found in Irad Ortiz Jr. the ideal partner to capitalize on her explosive closing kick. The Puerto Rican rider was aboard for the first time and judged the timing perfectly, unleashing his decisive run over 1100 meters on yielding turf in the $400,000 contest.
The early pace was brisk from the outset. Itzel (Mo Town), one of the longshots on the board, went straight to the front and posted fractions of 22.47 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.49 for the half-mile, while Time to Dazzle settled comfortably near the rear of the field.
Ortiz bided his time, fully aware that the condition of the ground could make a sustained rally challenging.
“The turf was a little soft, so I wanted to give her a chance to get comfortable and save one run for the end, hoping the leaders would back up,” he explained.
“She broke really well. I just waited for my moment and tried to get her relaxed.”
Turning into the stretch, Itzel still held the lead, though the early effort was beginning to take its toll. Out in the center of the course, Kehoe Beach, trained by Wesley Ward, made her move, while Time to Dazzle began eating up ground wide out.
The finish was a nail-biter. Kehoe Beach appeared poised for victory, but Time to Dazzle launched an irresistible charge on the outside, arriving just in time to get her nose down on the wire in 1:04.52.
Itzel held on for third, completing the top places in a field of seven runners.
“Around the turn I had to wait a bit longer, but we finally got there. She did a great job,” Ortiz noted.
“When I angled her out, she responded with a great turn of foot. Especially on ground like this, which was a bit soft, it's hard to find that extra gear, but she found it and I knew we had a chance to catch them.”
A Return to the Winner's Circle After a Year
The triumph carried special meaning, as Time to Dazzle had not visited the winner's circle since the previous edition of the Franklin Stakes, when she scored by 3 1/4 lengths over In Our Time (Not This Time).
Since then, she had endured a winless streak while remaining consistently competitive against top-flight opposition.
In her prior start on August 29, she had finished 3 1/2 lengths behind In Our Time in the $1,750,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes (G1).
Returning to Keeneland proved to be the cure. The track configuration, distance, and ground conditions suited her to perfection, allowing her to unleash the devastating turn of foot that had earned her the title twelve months prior.
For owner Tracy Farmer, the victory came as no surprise. “She loves running here and this is her weather,” he stated.
“It's wonderful to win a race at Keeneland. She always runs like this, coming from way back, even if it gets our nerves going. She is an extraordinary mare.”
Ag Bullet Far Below Her Best
One of the major disappointments of the race was Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy), a G1 winner with over $3,000,000 in career earnings.
The 6-year-old mare failed to make any impact during the race, trailing the field to finish last of seven.
Her immediate future lies in the broodmare barn, as she is cataloged for Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale on November 2.
Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Rodney Orr, Time to Dazzle is by Not This Time and was purchased by Tracy Farmer for $310,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
With her latest victory, her career record stands at 5 wins, 4 seconds, and 1 third from 21 starts, pushing her total bankroll to $1,421,521.
At 5 years old, following a extended winless spell, she proved that her main weapon remains fully intact: a late surge capable of altering the outcome of a race in a matter of seconds.
The Franklin Stakes now belongs to a repeat winner across its last two editions. In 2025, Time to Dazzle won with ease; this time, she needed every inch of the stretch. Yet on both occasions, she demonstrated that 1100 meters on the Keeneland turf is her ideal domain.
