Our objective was to evaluate first service reproductive performance of primiparous lactating dairy cows of different genetic merit for fertility submitted to AI through a timed AI (TAI) protocol or a combination of AI at detected estrus and TAI (AIE+TAI). Cows from 6 commercial farms were stratified into High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L) fertility groups based on a Reproductive Index (RI) value calculated from multiple genomic predictions generated by a commercially available genomic test (CLARIFIDE, Zoetis). Within each fertility group cows were randomly assigned to a TAI (n = 1,155) or AIE+TAI (n = 1,245) treatment group. Cows in TAI received the Double-Ovsynch protocol and TAI at 84 ± 3 DIM. Cows in AIE+TAI were eligible for AIE after a PGF2α treatment at 53 ± 3 DIM. Cows not AIE within 21 d of the PGF treatment received TAI after the Ovsynch protocol with progesterone supplementation. Binary and quantitative outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression and ANOVA, respectively. Farm was included as random effect in all models. Differences in LSM were analyzed by the LSD method. Mean RI was lowest (P < 0.001) for HF (93.4 ± 0.8), intermediate for MF (98.6 ± 0.8), and highest for LF (105.6 ± 0.8). Conversely, RI did not differ for TAI (99.3 ± 0.8) and AIE+TAI (99.2 ± 0.8) for all cows or within fertility group (P > 0.10). For AIE+TAI, the percentage of cows AIE was similar (P = 0.45) for HF (75.8%), MF (73.5%) and LF (72.0%). Overall pregnancy per AI (P/AI) irrespective of reproductive program was greater (P < 0.01) for HF (59.7%; n = 784) than MF (52.4%; n = 812) and LF (49.5%; n = 804) but MF and LF did not differ. Overall P/AI was greater for TAI than EDAI (P < 0.0001; TAI = 58.4% vs. AIE+TAI = 48.9%). For AIE+TAI, P/AI for cows AIE was greater for HF (53.9%; n = 307) than LF (40.0%; n = 303) and MF (47.8%; n = 307) but MF was similar than HF and LF. Overall P/AI was greater (P < 0.05) for TAI services within the HF (54.4 vs 65.4% for AIE and TAI) and LF (43.4 vs 56.1% for AIE and TAI) groups but was not different for the MF group. In conclusion, genetic merit for fertility and the type of reproductive management strategy for first service affected the reproductive performance of lactating primiparous cows.