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Battle Time’s bold front-running display at Riccarton will be a blueprint for the future.
The four-year-old was swiftly into stride from a wide gate in the Gr.2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile to make the running and he held a strong gallop to post a clear-cut victory under Sam Spratt.
“We think that’s his best style of racing, it’s taken a wee while to work it out and he’s come through that race like it never happened,” said Tim Carter, who prepares the entire with his wife Margaret at Cambridge.“We do have a plan in mind now and we’re going to press forward to the Captain Cook Stakes. He’s a four-year-old stallion and he’s best off in those sort of races.
“Sometimes they can have other things on their minds, but he’s pretty good at the moment. It’s back to weight-for-age, but he can carry weight.”Carter is also banking on history repeating itself in the Gr.1 Rydges Captain Cook Stakes on December 3 at Trentham for Battle Time’s rider.
“I can recall Sam leading and winning on Mufhasa – I remember it well because we had Vonusti in the race and he finished second,” he said.“Sam thinks 2000 metres will be ideal for Battle Time, but while he’s going so well we’ll keep him to a mile for a little while longer.”
Battle Time has won three of his 21 starts and he also has Group One placings in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas and the Diamond Stakes to his credit.