Time Test

DUBAWI’S SON Night Of Thunder, who retired to stud in 2015, proved a revelation in 2019 with his first crop achieving recordequalling numbers of stakes winners of two-year-olds, which is sure to increase interest in the first crop of Time Test, a beautifully bred son of Dubawi.

A Juddmonte Farms home-bred out of Passage Of Time, winner of the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, and third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), Nassau Stakes (G1) and Prix Vermeille (G1), Time Test was a high-class racehorse over four seasons and in two countries.

Trained for the first three seasons by Roger Charlton as a juvenile Time Test won once and was placed in the other two of his three starts.

As a three-year-old he showed an impressive turn of foot to win the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot over 1m2f and added the Group 2 Joel Stakes to his list of successes.

The following year he beat Group 1 winner Mondialiste in the Group 2 York Stakes, over his favoured 1m2f trip, and also finished third in the Eclipse Stakes (G1) at Sandown. He won the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard at the start of that season.

He was sent across the Atlantic Ocean to join the Chad Brown barn for his five-year-old career and he put in some top-notch performances on Turf finishing second in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap and third in the Manhattan Stakes, also Grade 1, at Belmont Park.

Juddmonte supported him strongly in his first season at stud and Scuffle, the dam of last year’s St Leger hero Logician, was sent to visit. She has a yearling colt by Time Test.

Anthony Oppenheimer’s Hascombe and Valiant Studs Lynwood Chase, dam of multiple Group 1-winning filly Star Catcher, Group 1 winner Cannock Chase and the Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Pisco Sour, produced her final colt by the stallion.

Other prominent owner-breeders who sent mares to Time Test, include Kirsten Rausing, Lady Lloyd Webber and the late Duke of Devonshire.

Time Test’s foals were popular at the Tattersalls December Sale and 27 members of his first crop were offered for sale in Europe last year, 24 of them in Newmarket. His foals achieved a healthy £25,550 average more than three times his covering fee.

The top price achieved was 62,000gns for Whatton Manor Stud’s halfbrother to US stakes winner Barleysugar, out of a Cozzene half-sister to the dam of Melbourne Cup hero Prince Of Penzance. He was bought by Jamie Railton.

Howson and Houldsworth went to 48,000gns to secure Tibthorpe Stud’s colt out of Rockme Cockney, a daughter of Cockney Rebel from the family of 2019 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup winner Belvoir Bay. The next highest price was for West Blagdon Stud’s colt from a fine Aga Khan family, who was bought by George Mullins for 42,000gns.

Time Test’s most expensive filly foal was consigned by Dukes Stud and is a half-sister to Listed Glasgow Stakes winner Sparkling Portrait and the Group 3 third Start Right. The filly, who made 37,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock, is a grand-daughter of Group 3 winner State Crystal, a half-sister to Crystal Music who won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.

Racing Form

14 runs, six wins, seven places | Best Timeform Rating: 125 | Average winning distance: 9.26f

Stakes form

AT 3 Won Shadwell Joel Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.2, (8f. beating Custom Cut (IRE) and Decorated Knight (GB)), Tercentenary Stakes, Ascot, Gr.3, (9½f. beating Peacock (GB) and Mustadeem (IRE)).

AT 4 Won Sky Bet York Stakes, York, Gr.2, (10f. beating Mondialiste (IRE) and Countermeasure (GB)), Betvictor Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.3, (9½f. beating Western Hymn (GB) and Scottish (IRE)), third in Coral Eclipse Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.1, (to Hawkbill).

AT 5 Second in Fourstardave Handicap, Saratoga, Gr.1, (to World Approval (USA)), Woodford Reserve Manhattan Stakes, Belmont Park, Gr.1, (to Ascend (USA)), Fort Marcy Stakes, Belmont Park, Gr.3, (to Smooth Daddy (USA)).