Doubt Time causes upset on debut at Caulfield

Trainer Nick Ryan was convinced he was making the correct call to send Doubt Time to Caulfield for its debut after a midweek track gallop at Flemington.

The stable's confidence was well-placed, as the two-year-old gelding experienced a significant plunge in the betting ring, shortening from $31 to $8 before snatching victory in the Stow Robotics Handicap (1100m) on Saturday.

Under the expert handling of apprentice Luke Cartwright, Doubt Time managed to get up on the line, winning by a narrow nose over the $3.50 favourite Resolutely. Stakes ($5) trailed home a further 1-¾ lengths behind in third.

A progeny of Doubtland, a horse that achieved dual Stakes wins before commencing stud duties, Doubt Time was positioned towards the rear by Cartwright before unleashing a potent finishing sprint.

"He's very much like his father," Ryan explained. "His father won his first start on a Soft 7 at Kensington, and he came from back and swamped them."

"We trialled here last week, and then I galloped him on Thursday morning on the inside grass at Flemington. I pushed the button a little bit in the last 50 (metres) and I nearly fell off the back of him. The penny has finally dropped, and I said to Luke to keep him in your hands, bounce, squeeze, travel, and if you're a bit back, don't panic."

"He's got an 8.05 metre stride on the data, and he's not fully developed and I said it's very important for you to get room to the outside. He's never had one with the whip, and when you shake him up, he's going to launch, whether that's running home to finish fourth or fifth, or winning, I had a feeling of what he was going to do."

Looking ahead, Ryan suggested that Doubt Time would not be rushed back to racing and is likely to be sent for a spell.

"He's two, so we'll have to see how he is in the morning, how his shins are," Ryan confirmed. "He'll definitely be in the paddock next week, for how long, I don't know. He's had three jump-outs and two trials, and he had come here (Caulfield) twice. I did dual accept for Wodonga on Sunday, but we were always coming here, so we'll see how he pulls up, but that was pretty impressive."

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