TIME TO TESTIFY GETS THE VERDICT

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Time To Testify’s steady rise in distance over his three starts since resuming after a four month break from race action was one of the contributing factors, along with being reunited with jockey Mark Du Plessis, which helped the son of Spill The Beans claim his second career win over 1700m in a Band 0-65 Handicap at Ipswich on October 18.

Du Plessis had ridden the Shaun Dwyer trained five-year-old in his Maiden win (also at Ipswich but over 1350m) back in April, but he was last on the horse three runs back and all of Du Plessis’s expertise came to the fore in a driving finish as Time To Testify, an $11 chance, held out another fast finisher Bella Tavici ($10) to score by a 0.20 lengths margin.

The $11 staring price was posted on the basis that Time To Testify was always well back and certainly did not set any alarm bells ringing in his previous two starts, but the climb in distance (a fair jump from 1350m to 1700m) and an improved level of fitness meant the $11 was probably generous odds.

Time To Testify, who only got into the race as an emergency acceptor, landed in the leading line, but as the early speed went on, Du Plessis was happy to let him find his own comfortable rhythm as Time To Testify settled in fifth place, three wide, going down the back stretch, racing some four lengths off the leader.

Time To Testify held that position until late in the sweep to the home turn where Du Plessis asked his mount to start improving his position … a move which saw him swing four wide on the turn, but in clear air, now which only a two-length deficit to make up.

The $12 chance Rockin’ Artie was the one setting the target in the home straight, and he made them all chase hard in the first half of the run home, but Du Plessis and Time To Testify always has Rockin’ Artie well within their sights, and they carried enough momentum to be able to range up alongside and go past Rockin’ Artie with 100m left to run.

Only one danger then remained to the Dwyer trained runner.

Bella Tivaci, another emergency acceptor, who had come from two lengths behind Time To Testify, produced a rousing finish of his own, ducking back to the inside and powering home strongly, but Du Plessis’s timing on Time To Testify was good enough to repel that challenge as well, as Time To Testify stayed on strongly to the line.

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