A midweek track gallop at Flemington convinced trainer Nick Ryan he was making the right decision to take Doubt Time to Caulfield for the gelding’s debut.
And the Ryan stable did not miss out on supporting the two-year-old who firmed from $31 into $8 in scoring a last stride victory in the Stow Robotics Handicap (1100m) on Saturday.
Under the guidance of apprentice Luke Cartwright, Doubt Time got up on the line to score by a nose from the $3.50 favourite Resolutely with Stakes ($5) a further 1-¾ lengths away.
A son of Doubtland, a dual Stakes winner before retiring to stud, Doubt Time was ridden quietly by Cartwright before unleashing a powerful finish.
DOUBT TIME ON THE LINE 🤯
What a debut from the Nick Ryan 2YO!@lukecartwrightt @nryanracing pic.twitter.com/H9txdJmXbG
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) July 25, 2026
“He’s very much like his father,” Ryan said.
“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 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.”
Ryan said he would not be rushed in getting Doubt Time back to the races and favours sending the gelding for a break.
“He’s two, so we’ll have to see how he is in the morning, how his shins are,” Ryan said.
“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.”
