Tardis proves up to the mark in providing Time Test with first stakes winner

The National Stud's first-season sire Time Test was provided with a first stakes winner when the progressive Tardis powered home in the Listed St Hugh's Stakes at Newbury.

Bred by Keyfan Bloodstock, the Wood Hall Stud-owned two-year-old is on a steep upward curve, having broken her maiden decisively at Bath last month following two placed efforts previously.

Bought back when offered by the National Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, Tardis then made 18,000gns when selling to Nick Bell from Knockgraffon Stables at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale in April.

She is the first foal out of Twizzell, a daughter of Equiano who won twice over five furlongs for Ann Duffield and Karl Burke.

Twizzell, who was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud and sold to Salcey Forest Stud for €50,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, is a half-sister to two winners and is out of a winning half-sister to American Grade 2 winner and Beverly D Stakes third Country Garden.

Tardis' Newbury success also marked an important chapter in her sire's burgeoning career.

The Juddmonte-bred son of Dubawi is bred in the purple, being out of Passage Of Time, a Group 1-winning daughter of Dansili and a half-sister to Falmouth Stakes heroine Timepiece.

She is also a full-sibling to the high-class pair of Father Time and Continuum, the former a winner of the King Edward VII Stakes for Sir Henry Cecil.

The quartet are out of Clepsydra, a winning daughter of Sadler's Wells and Quandary, as well as a half-sister to Double Crossed, the dam of Twice Over, and Sacred Shield, the dam of American Grade 1 scorer Viadera and the unbeaten Sacred Bridge.

Time Test proved a high-class performer on the track too, winning the Group 2 Joel and York Stakes for Roger Charlton as well as placing in two Grade 1 contests when transferred to Chad Brown. He was also third behind Hawkbill in the Coral-Eclipse.

The colt retired to the National Stud for the 2018 breeding season and stands for an unchanged fee of £8,500.

He has produced four individual winners to date and a Group-placed runner in Premio Primi Passi third The King's Horses.

Another freshman sire in Darley's Profitable was also among the stakes action on Friday, with the unbeaten Head Mistress running out a straightforward winner of the Listed Curragh Stakes

Bred by Brucetown Farms and John Brady, the Ger Lyons-trained filly is the sixth foal out of the winning Street Cry mare Rag And Bone, a half-sister to Group 3 scorer Raymi Coya and Hikari, a winning daughter of Galileo and dam of the stakes-winning Raise You.

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