Kentucky Derby 2017 Contender: Not This Time

Eclipse Award winning trainer, Dale Romans, calls Not This Time one of the best horses he has ever trained. With an eye already on the 2017 Kentucky Derby, the half-brother of Liam's Map, by top sire Giant's Causeway, will first head to California as one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

An Albaugh Family Stable homebred, Let's get to know the romping winner of the Iroquois Stakes, and the horse I have ranked as the top two-year-old in the nation, a little better in this interview with his trainer...

Meet Brian Zipse

Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing his entire life. Taken to the races at a very young age, he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from Secretariat, Forego, and Ruffian through Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, American Pharoah and Justify. Before coming to HRN, Brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game. His racing partnership venture, Derby Day Racing, invites more fans to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership.

The Editor of Horse Racing Nation from 2010-2017, Brian authored a daily column as Zipse at the Track, created the popular racing webcast HorseCenter, and added his editorial flare to the overall content of the website. Now a Senior Writer for HRN, Brian continues to contribute his thoughts on racing, as well as hosting HorseCenter. A big supporter of thoroughbred aftercare, he serves on the Board of The Exceller Fund.

Brian's work has also been published on several leading industry sites. He has consulted for leading contest site Derby Wars and is a Vox Populi committee member. He is a voter for racing's Hall of Fame, as well as a weekly NTRA poll voter.

A horse owner and graduate of DePaul University, Brian lives just outside of Louisville with his wife Candice and daughter Kendra.

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