Decision Time will be out to rebound from a last-start defeat when he gets his first look at the Flemington straight in Sunday’s Gilgai Stakes.
Decision Time turned in arguably the worst performance of his career when fifth as favourite in the Group Two The Shorts (1200m) at Rosehill on September 17.
Trainer Clarry Conners elected for the Group Two Gilgai Stakes (1200m) on Sunday over the Premiere Stakes (1200m) in Sydney a day earlier.
The Gilgai will give Decision Time valuable experience at Flemington ahead of his main goal, the Group One Patinack Farm Classic (1200m) during the Melbourne Cup carnival.
“That’s one of the reasons for going down there for the Gilgai,” Conners said.
“The Patinack is his main aim and at least this gives him the chance to look at the straight.”
Conners also believes the Gilgai is an easier option than the Premiere Stakes at weight-for-age where he would have had 58.5kg.
Decision Time is joint topweight with Soul on 57kg for the Gilgai.
“He has carried weight before but he’s not a big horse,” Conners said.
The four-year-old gelding has been a model of consistency throughout his career, winning his first four starts including the Black Opal Stakes before finishing runner-up in both the Todman Stakes and Golden Slipper.
Decision Time won three of his six starts as a three-year-old but spent a number of months on the sidelines after bleeding in his Stan Fox Stakes win last September, and then through injury which kept him out of almost all of the autumn.
Conners said there was a combination of things that contributed to his 1-1/4-length fifth in The Shorts, second-up after winning the Concorde Stakes in his spring return.
“I think he had done too well on me leading into that race, he was also second-up and I think Corey (Brown) went a bit early on him,” Conners said.
“There were a few things that probably combined in his defeat, but I’m pretty happy with the horse now.”
Decision Time opened favourite with TAB Sportsbet but support for Varenna Miss has seen him drop to the second line of betting.
AAP TURF
