Time Test

There was lots of talk about Time Test after he won the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot on Thursday, but there is still a chance that the quality of the performance that he put up will be under-rated, simply because it was just a Group 3 contest.

Roger Charlton's horse travelled like the most likely winner from a long way out, he moved up easily to join the leaders Mustadeem and Peacock at the top of the home straight, and he quickened clear in the style of highly talented individual. The even fractions helped, but it still takes a high-class horse to go as fast as he went, 0.2secs/furlong faster than standard and 0.06secs/furlong faster than par, and that without being fully extended.

A son of Dubawi, Time Test is a hugely exciting colt Winner of just one of his three races last season, he created an impression with the turn of foot that he showed to win the often informative London Gold Cup at Newbury on Lockinge Stakes day off a mark of 93. It was on the back of that performance that he was sent off as a fairly warm favourite for Thursday's race, despite the fact that he had 9lb to find with the top-rated horse even off his new rating of 103.

The talk after the race was of stepping Time Test up in grade, and that is inevitable. He could be a Group 1 winner in waiting. Roger Charlton said that he had more speed than Al Kazeem, which is a massive compliment, and he spoke of stepping him down in trip to a mile, perhaps for the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly next month. There was also talk of the Arc de Triomphe over a mile and a half. That said, it is probable that this 10-furlong trip will prove to be his optimum. As such, the Juddmonte International - a race that his owner, the sponsor of that race Prince Khalid Abdullah, loves to win - at York is the ideal target for him now. He still has to prove that he is up to Group 1 class, but you suspect that he is, and he will be of big interest in the Juddmonte.

18th June 2015

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