Tercentenary Stakes |
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| Group 3, Ascot 15:05 £75,000 added, 3yo only, 1m 2f, Class 1  |
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| Thursday 18th June 2015 | |
1 Time Test 15/8F
2 Peacock 5/1
3 Mustadeem 20/1
NR: Librisa Breeze, Master Apprentice (IRE), Restorer
11 ran Distances: 3¼l, ¾l, 3½l
TIME 2m 3.05s (fast by 1.95s)
Time Test is winner number 51 at Royal Ascot for Frankie Dettori as he easily wins the Tercentenary Stakes
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Time Test, owned and bred by Khalid Abdullah, won the Tercentenary Stakes by three and a quarter lengths from the Queen's Peacock. The 15/8 favourite is trained by Roger Charlton and was ridden by Frankie Dettori, for whom it was a 51st Royal Ascot winner.
Charlton said: "He did a very good bit of work the other day and George Baker, who rode him, said 'this is a Group One horse'. I don't think George says things like that unnecessarily and I never like to get too carried away because there are a lot of disappointments in this game, but Time Test certainly has progressed really well.
"Last year, we were a bit fragile mentally and there was a bit of sweating between his legs today, but he was brilliant. Frankie said that you could put him anywhere in the race, the ground wasn't too firm - he loves it - and all the great positive things that give you the chance to win more races.
"When you watch the race for the first time without seeing the replays it's hard to know, but he seemed to travel really well. Two [furlongs] out, one and a half out he's on the bridle, and Frankie's said 'let's go'. For a minute maybe, he hesitated or didn't really know what to do, but he won and it was a commanding performance.
"There was never a bead of sweat on him [in the preliminaries]. You can't work out what goes on in horses' heads, but we've taken our time with this horse and the owner has been patient, and we're rewarded with a nice horse. He's got a fantastic pedigree - every day Dubawis win great races, and if he develops as tough as [Group One winner] Al Kazeem we've got a lot to look forward to. He's got more speed than Al Kazeem, but we'll see."
When asked where Time Test would go next, Charlton replied: "I think we will stay at a mile and a quarter for now - he has plenty of speed. The problem here is that there aren't any progressive races for three-year-old colts and you are immediately having to take on older horses, because there isn't such a thing as a Group Two race for a three-year-old between now and the end of the year. There are in France, so maybe we will go there - we will wait and see. He'll certainly have an entry in the Juddmonte International at York, for obvious reasons [the race is sponsored by the horse's owner/breeder], and maybe by then he's up to it, maybe not.
"I think his temperament is tested on a big day like and he came through it extremely well. He should progress - if I train him properly - and I'd like to think he'll be in training next year.
"He's got a great cruising speed and is just the right horse for a jockey who is at the top of his game and riding full of confidence."
Dettori, scoring his second winner of the 2015 meeting, said: "I had plenty of room. I had lots of horse left, I thought I'll risk it, just go the outside, keep it simple and collect the money! It was as simple as that. What a lovely horse. You could put him wherever you want. What he showed today, not many horses can do, when he can travel and quicken like that. It felt like a dream - beautiful, moved great, had a great turn of foot - spot on."
Brian Meehan was pleased with the performance of third placed Mustadeem, who finished four lengths behind the facile winner. The son of Arcano led under Paul Hanagan and stuck on resolutely to finish a creditable third.
Meehan said: "We are delighted with the run. He was just taken on for the lead a little bit when he needed to have a breather."
The three-year-old had finished second to Peacock at Newmarket with Meehan suggesting the horse had improved from that race to finish only three-quarters of a length behind the same horse today.
He remarked: "He has run a hell of a race and stepped up on his run behind Peacock at Newmarket. He has improved from Newmarket and I think he will be a better horse when he is able to lead and get his own way in front. But we are very pleased with that."
Future plans are up in the air for the colt but Meehan believes the horse could handle a step up in trip. The trainer said: "Paul Hanagan thought he would get further but I am more than comfortable at a mile and a quarter for the moment but Paul said he could get further if he wanted to step him up in trip.
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Meehan added: "There are no plans at the moment. I have a few things in my head but there are no targets. I will speak to the owners and see what they think but the real idea was to come here today, see how he ran here and then decide where to go with him next."
Richard Hughes, rider of the three and a quarter length second Peacock, owned by Her Majesty The Queen, said: "I'd say we were just beaten by the better horse."
Tercentenary Stakes (Group 3)
£75,000 added, 3yo only, 1m 2f, Class 1
11 ran
Going: Good to Firm
| Pos | Draw | Dist | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (7) | Time Test 15/8f | L Dettori 9-0 |
R Charlton | 3 | |
| 2nd | (6) | 3¼ | Peacock 5/1 | R Hughes 9-0 |
R Hannon | 3 |
| 3rd | (4) | ¾ | Mustadeem (IRE) 20/1 | P Hanagan 9-0 |
B J Meehan | 3 |
| 4th | (10) | 3½ | Disegno (IRE) 11/2 | R L Moore 9-0 |
Sir Michael Stoute | 3 |
| 5th | (8) | hd | Faithful Creek (IRE) 50/1 | M Guyon 9-0 |
B J Meehan | 3 |
| 6th | (9) | 1 | Maftool (USA) 16/1 | James Doyle 9-4 |
S bin Suroor | 3 |
| 7th | (13) | ½ | Don Camillo (USA) 25/1 | P J Smullen 9-0 |
D K Weld | 3 |
| 8th | (3) | 1½ | Nafaqa (IRE) 14/1 | Dane O'Neill 9-0 |
B W Hills | 3 |
| 9th | (12) | 1¼ | Bocca Baciata (IRE) 11/2 | F M Berry 8-11 |
Mrs J Harrington | 3 |
| 10th | (14) | 4 | Cape Clear Island (IRE) 12/1 | J P O'Brien 9-0 |
A P O'Brien | 3 |
| 11th | (5) | 4 | Not So Sleepy 20/1 | Jim Crowley 9-0 |
H Morrison | 3 |
| NR | (1) | Master Apprentice (IRE) 10/1 | David Probert 9-4 |
A M Balding | 3 | |
| NR | (11) | Librisa Breeze 25/1 | S W Kelly 9-0 |
J Noseda | 3 | |
| NR | (2) | Restorer 33/1 | M Dwyer 9-0 |
W R Muir | 3 |
