Donamire Farm homebred Troubleshooting (Not This Time), a smart winner of the Dade Park Dash S. at Ellis Park July 4, was along in time to post a narrow victory in Saturday's GI Ainsworth Franklin-Simpson S. going 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs. He becomes the eighth Grade I winner for leading young sire Not This Time.
Of at odds of 5-1, he raced within striking distance in fifth through fast fractions of :22 and :44.17. He was guided out five wide at the quarter pole and came charging on the outside in the stretch to defeat Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) by a half-length and provide veteran trainer Greg Foley with a landmark victory. Governor Sam (Improbable) was third.
Troubleshooting entered off a narrow second-place finish in an allowance sprinting on grass at Ellis Park Aug. 4. All five of his previous grass tries were at 5 1/2 furlongs.
“It's been a long time trying to get a Grade I. It feels good,” said Foley, a second-generation horseman who had 10 prior graded stakes wins. “We've won Grade IIs, Grade IIIs, all that, but that is the first. Anyway, got that done.”
He continued, “When you have a very good horse, you can be pretty confident. He fit for sure. It was just if you can get in there and get lucky. For $2 million, you know it's going to be the best there is around right now, a couple of horses that came from Saratoga and that. But this horse has been running against good horses, too. Ellis isn't any picnic anymore.”
Foley concluded, “He's just a big, handsome horse.”
Pedigree Notes:
Not This Time is now represented by 28 graded/group stakes winners worldwide.
Troubleshooting becomes the third Grade I winner for broodmare sire Into Mischief, joining White Abarrio (Race Day) and Alva Starr (Lord Nelson). Into Mischief is also the broodmare sire of 'TDN Rising Star' Shisospicy (Mitole), who won the GII Ags Music City S. one race earlier on the same card.
The stakes-winning Into Trouble, a $180,000 KEESEP yearling purchase by the Ball family's operation, is also responsible for the multiple stakes-placed Big Trouble (Kantharos), the unraced 2-year-old colt Trouble Calling (Dialed In), a yearling filly by Nashville and a colt by Nashville of this year. Into Trouble was bred back to Kantharos.
“We bred the mare to Not This Time back when he was just getting started out, and he was having a lot of nice 2-year-olds,” said Mike Ball, son of Donamire Farm owner Mira Ball. “We were lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with this guy. We were very fortunate.”
Saturday, Kentucky Downs
AINSWORTH FRANKLIN-SIMPSON S.-GI, $1,994,300, Kentucky Downs, 9-6, 3yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:14.33, gd.
1–TROUBLESHOOTING, 120, c, 3, by Not This Time
1st Dam: Into Trouble (SW, $182,749), by Into Mischief
2nd Dam: Smooth Performer, by Benchmark
3rd Dam: Smooth Player, by Bertrando
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Donamire
Farm (KY); T-Gregory D. Foley; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $1,154,900.
Lifetime Record: 9-3-3-0, $1,395,656. *1/2 to Big Trouble
(Kantharos), MSP, $192,620. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Golden Afternoon, 120, g, 3, Goldencents–Afternoon, by
Street Cry (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($70,000 2yo '24
OBSAPR). O-Greco, Eddie, Greco, Pat, Jaffe, Scott, Cloonan,
Michael P. and Vaccarezza Racing LLC; B-Alexander-Groves
Thoroughbreds (KY); T-Nicholas Vaccarezza. $379,000.
3–Governor Sam, 120, c, 3, Improbable–I'm Betty G, by Into
Mischief. ($50,000 Ylg '23 FTKOCT; $275,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR).
O-Bregman Family Racing LLC & Swinbank Stables, LLC;
B-Stoneriggs Farm (KY); T-George Weaver. $189,500.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, NK. Odds: 5.92, 9.71, 5.08.
Also Ran: Antisocial, Chasing Liberty, Dream On, Out On Bail, Bridle a Butterfly, Innovator, Warheart, Mi Bago, Spiced Up. Scratched: Bucaro, Kale's Angel, Litigation, Stiglets.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Troubleshooting takes the G1 Franklin-Simpson at @kydownsracing at 5/1 for trainer @foley_racing with @tyler_gaff aboard! 🏆
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/vags3Klt6i
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 6, 2025
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