Decision Time capped off an outstanding training performance from Clarry Connors to record a brave victory in the 2015 Show County Quality at Royal Randwick this afternoon.
Decision Time held-off a host of rivals to record a brave victory in the 2015 Show County Quality at Royal Randwick this afternoon. Photo by: Steve Hart
Decision Time has been plagued by injuries since he took out the 2013 edition of the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m), but he showed plenty of early speed to take up the running in the early stages of the Show County Quality.
The Foreplay gelding looked like a sitting duck when Heart Testa, Vashka and Boss Lane all loomed on the outside, but the eight-year-old fought them off bravely to record a remarkable win.
An emotional Connors was clearly delighted to see Decision Time return to winning form in the Show County Quality and the veteran trainer said after the race that he was thrilled that his perseverance with the injury-plauged galloper had paid off.
“He is part of the family,” Connors said.
“He hasn’t won for two years and he has broke down with tendons twice and he has bled, but I just keep getting him back.
“He is just a lovely horse and for him to win today is one of the highlights of my life.
“Getting the weight off him has been a hard job and keeping him sound and everything else and I am pretty chuffed with the win today.
“We know how good his and getting the weight off him has been the problem because he is just such a heavy horse and he is good doer.
“When you have leg problems I never push them and you just nurse and nurse because you want to keep him going, but I knew that if I could get him right he would be right there.”
Decision Time made his racing debut at Kembla Grange back in January of 2010 and he stamped himself as a horse to watch when he took out the Listed Black Opal Stakes (1200m) and finished second in both the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) during the 2010 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
He added wins in the Listed Heritage Stakes (1200m), Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes (1400m) and Listed Fireball Quality (1100m) as a three-year-old, but he missed almost 18 months of racing after he finished 12th in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.
Decision Time returned to racing with strong efforts in both the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) and Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) in 2013 and he took out the Concorde Stakes later that year, but has had issues with soundness ever since.
