Time For War will have the fourth start of his racing career in the 2014 Champagne Classic at Doomben on Saturday and trainer Gerald Ryan is happy with the condition of the talented colt ahead of the Group 2 event this weekend.
Time For War will be chasing his third win from four starts in the 2014 Champagne Classic at Doomben on Saturday. Photo by: Steve Hart
Time For War surprised both punters and connections when he scored a narrow win when making his racing debut in the CFMEU Mining & Energy Plate (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 2 last year and he returned to racing with a win in the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 29 before finishing fourth in the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 12.
Ryan told Racing Ahead this morning that Time For War had taken plenty of benefit out of his tough run in the Sires Produce Stakes and said that he has finally started to show some of his best form in trackwork heading into the Champagne Classic this weekend.
“He is terrific,” Ryan said.
“He has improved, looks well, has settled down heaps and he is going good
“He is a horse that caught us completely unawares, he showed nothing on the track before his first-up run in the spring, and he showed nothing prior to his win in the Pago Pago.
“He has freshened up good, he has filled in well and his work has been good.”
The Champagne Classic has drawn a strong set of nominations, with Royal Randwick Stakes winner Eloping, Darley colt Mohave and Chris Waller-trained Brazen Beau all set to contest the race, but Ryan believes that Time For War is a genuine winning chance if he is able to settle in Brisbane when he arrives with stablemate Hot Snitzel tomorrow.
“It is a bit of a race on Saturday, but he has only had the two starts back and hopefully he is still on the way up,” Ryan said.
“If he settles in and carries on the way he does here at home he would be terrific.
“He is a really quiet little fella here and he looks really well.”
Time For War is the only two-year-old that Ryan is set to bring to Queensland for the 2014 Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival and he has been included in the nominations for the Group 1 J.J. Atkins (1600m) that will be held at Eagle Farm on June 7.
