Time Test is bred to hit the top

TIME TEST (GB) - 2012 bay colt

With a Timeform rating of 127, Time Test is one of the most highly ranked individuals in training that does not have a Group 1 win to his name, something that he could certainly rectify by the end of the season. The Juddmonte Farms homebred is trained by Roger Charlton, he is one of the ante-post favourites for the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York in two and a half weeks' time and also holds an entry in the Group 1 Qipco Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.

A four-year-old son of Dalham Hall Stud's classic star and outstanding stallion Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium), Time Test has run three times so far this season. He kicked off the campaign with a narrow win the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes on fast ground at Sandown in May, then finished third to Hawkbill and The Gurkha in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse on soft ground at the same venue before beating Mondialiste by three-parts of a length in the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes over the extended 10 furlongs at York eight days ago.

Winner of one of his three starts as a juvenile – he was runner-up in the other two – he started his three-year-old season with a valuable handicap success over 10 furlongs at Newbury, followed that with an easy win in the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot, and was then fourth behind Arabian Queen in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes before beating Custom Cut by a length in the Group 2 Shadwell Joel Stakes over a mile at Newmarket. His only other outing is his unplaced run behind Tepin in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland.

As a Group 1-placed multiple pattern scorer by Dubawi, Time Test has already done enough to ensure that he would attract plenty of attention as a prospective stallion, especially with the plethora of Group 1 form that his best relations showed during their careers on the track. He has the ability to win at the highest level, and should he fulfill that promise then his potential to develop a notable stallion career would increase.

The initial Dubawi stallions include classic sire Makfi and blacktype sire Poet's Voice, and those in earlier phases of their career include the Group 1 stars Akeed Mofeed (stands in Australia), Al Kazeem (UK), Hunter's Light (France), Monterosso (Japan) and Night Of Thunder (Ireland), as well as Group 2 scorers Aljamaaher (Ireland), Universal (UK) and Worthadd (Ireland).

Retirement Plan (by Monsun), who is Time Test's older half-brother, is also at stud. He won three times from 11 furlongs to two miles, including the Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap, he was runner-up in the Mallard Handicap at Doncaster, and he took up stallion duties at Tullaghansleek Stud in Ireland earlier in the year.

Time Test is the third foal out of the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Passage Of Time (by Dansili), he has a two-year-old full-sister named Time Chaser, the mare had another Dubawi colt in 2015, and in April she had a first-crop son of the brilliant miler Kingman (by Invincible Spirit).

In addition to her top-level success, Passage Of Time won the Group 3 Musidora Stakes and two listed contests, and she was third in each of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Group 1 Prix Vermeille and Group 1 Nassau Stakes. Her full-brother Father Time won the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes, was third in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and fourth (no blacktype) in the Group 1 St Leger, and she is also a full-sister to listed scorer Continuum.

The mare is out of one-time scorer Clepsydra (by Sadler's Wells), she has a two-year-old half-sister named Amser (by Frankel) and, of course, her siblings also include the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes heroine Timepiece (by Zamindar). That flashy bay also won four listed races, she was placed in the Nassau Stakes, Prix Rothschild and two editions of the Prix Jean Romanet – all Group 1 – and her first two foals are Dansili and Invincible Spirit (by Green Desert) fillies born in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Clepsydra is out of the Listed James Seymour Stakes winner Quandary (by Blushing Groom) and that makes her a half-sister to Double Crossed (by Caerleon), the stakes-winning dam of the prolific and popular Group 1 star Twice Over (by Observatory).

That multimillionaire's dozen wins included the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes and two editions of the Group 1 Champion Stakes, he won several other pattern contests from three to six years of age, and his top-level placings include third to Zenyatta and Gio Ponti in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

He was only beaten by half-length when second to Rip Van Winkle in another edition of the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, beaten by the same margin when runner-up to Byword in the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot, and also when third to Virtual in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. Time Over's final race was when finishing fourth behind Frankel at York, at the age of seven, and he took up stallion duties in South Africa.

Quandary was out of Lost Virtue (by Cloudy Dawn), who was an unraced half-sister to the Grade 1-placed Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap winner Anti Lib (by Tom Rolfe), and that made her a half-sister to eight winners. Two of them were of particular note and one of the pair was a top-class racehorse that became a producer of influence.

Over The Ocean (by Super Concorde) won the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville and the Group 3 Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud and he was sent to Argentina, but sadly died after just one season at stud. His half-sister All At Sea (by Riverman), on the other hand, earned a Timeform rating of 124 after a three-year-old campaign that saw her win the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Group 3 Musidora Stakes and Listed Pretty Polly Stakes.

She was only beaten by a neck when runner-up to Ruby Tiger in the Group 2 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, chased home prolific Group 1 star Rodrigo De Triano in the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes 17 days later, and she was also a runner-up in the Oaks at Epsom.

That classic was memorable and not just for the front-running three and a half length victory of User Friendly. All At Sea was favourite, she was cruising with over a quarter-mile to go, but her stamina gave out and she could not catch her rival, who went on to take two more classics. The pair completely outclassed the rest of the field, finishing 20 lengths clear of the third-placed long-shot Pearl Angel.

All At Sea's stakes-winning daughter Insinuate (by Mr Prospector) is the dam of the Group 3 Supreme Stakes winner and Group 2 Hungerford Stakes third Stronghold (by Danehill), and of Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner Take The Hint (by Montjeu). She is also the grandam of the Group 2-placed dual stakes winner Stipulate (by Dansili) and that gelding, now aged seven, is trained by Brian Ellison and ran twice in premier handicaps at the Galway Festival, with fourth behind Creggs Pipes on Tuesday being the better placing.

Imroz (by Nureyev) was placed in a listed contest at York and in a Grade 3 handicap in California, this daughter of All At Sea is the grandam of last year's Group 3 Prix d'Aumale winner Antonoe (by First Defence) and she is dam of Posteritas (by Lear Fan), who is, in turn, the stakes-winning dam of Group 1 Prix Jean Prat scorer Mutual Trust (by Cacique).

Time Test is the latest example of the long-established tradition of Group 1 performers for this family and there is good reason to believe that he could join his dam and several of his relations by winning at least once at the highest level before he eventually goes to stud.