Roger Charlton believes that Time Test has still to reach his best form despite taking victory in Saturday’s York Stakes.
The four-year-old bounced back after his third to Hawkbill in the Eclipse Stakes earlier this month to take the Group 2 affair on the Knavesmire by three-quarters of a length from David O’Meara’s Mondialiste.
Next up is a likely return to York for the Juddmonte International on August 17, the feature race of the opening day of the annual Ebor Festival.
There he will likely go up against Charlie Appleby’s Hawkbill again, while it is the Roger Varian-trained Postponed who currently looks the favourite for the Group 1 race over a mile, two furlongs and 88 yards.
Charlton admitted that despite the victory, his charge was somewhat short of his best on Saturday but is confident he will be able to get him ready in time for next month’s Juddmonte.
He told At The Races: “I slightly blame myself.
He had quite a tough time on ground he didn’t like in the Eclipse and we all know it’s been incredibly hot and it’s possible that I left him a bit short.
“I maybe overconfidently thought he would go into yesterday and win, which he did do, but I might have left him a gallop short.
He might have been getting tired in the closing stages. “I think it was fairly solid form.
It wasn’t flash, but it was a good effort and he’s won two Group Twos and will step up, all being well, for the Juddmonte (International at York on August 17).”
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