Shadwell Joel Stakes
Group 2, Newmarket 15:40 £100,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 1
Friday 25th September 2015

1 Time Test 10/11F
2 Custom Cut 15/8
3 Decorated Knight 7/1
4 ran Distances: 1l, 4½l, 2l
TIME 1m 35.84s (slow by 0.84s)

Time Test gets the better of Custom Cut in the Joel Stakes. A winner for the returning Ryan Moore

Time Test
© Racehorse Photos

The three-times champion jockey had been sidelined since suffering a neck injury in a stalls incident in early July and although some reports suggested the 32-year-old could miss the entire Flat season, he made a surprise return to action when third aboard Peterhof at Headquarters on Thursday.

Having filled the runner-up spot on Thetis in the Rockfel Stakes earlier in the day, Moore looked to have a good chance to hit the bullseye with Roger Charlton's Time Test and did so in fine style.

So impressive in the Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Dubawi colt was the 10-11 favourite for this Group Two prize, dropping in grade and distance after finishing fourth in the Juddmonte International at York last month.

Moore took his time before producing the market leader in the final furlong and he had too many guns for last year's winner Custom Cut, winning the argument by a length.

Decorated Knight was third, with Tupi last of the four runners.

Moore said: "I'm very lucky to be able to come back and ride horses like this. He's a very good horse and the ground was slow enough for him.

"He just couldn't quicken as well as he can on fast ground, but he's very professional.

"He's a 10-furlong winner at Ascot and at Newbury. He gets the trip. He's beaten a real solid horse in Custom Cut."

Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, said: "I'm delighted. He's come on and is a much more mature horse now, mentally and physically.

"He's handling it much better, Ryan gave him a super ride and brought him into the race.

"Dropping him back to a mile he's been on the metal a little bit, but he's done it really nicely and that was encouraging.

"All the jockeys who have ridden him say a mile is his best trip. He's done it nicely and Ryan is the world's leading jockey."

Shadwell Joel Stakes (Group 2)
£100,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m, Class 1
4 ran
Going: Good, Good to Soft in places

Pos	Dr	D	Horse SP	Jockey Weight	Trainer	Age
1st	(2)		Time Test 10/11f	R L Moore 9-0	R Charlton	3
2nd	(4)	1	Custom Cut (IRE) 15/8	D Tudhope 9-4	D O'Meara	6
3rd	(3)	4½	Decorated Knight 7/1	Andrea Atzeni 9-0	R Varian	3
4th	(1)		Tupi (IRE) 12/1	P J Dobbs 9-0	R Hannon	3