Promising stayer Time Odyssey, a South African bred half brother to Tellina, thumped his rivals as widely expected in the $80,000 Kranji Stakes C race over 1600m on Sunday, but has now left jockey Corey Brown with a possible happy headache when the Fortune Bowl comes around next Tuesday week.
Priscilla The Australian jockey has now been aboard at the last four of Time Odyssey’s five wins, but might have to make a tough call should trainer Patrick Shaw decide to back the Jet Master four-year-old up in the Group 3 Fortune Bowl (2000m) on February 9. Brown is the regular partner of dual Gold Cup-Derby winner Quechua, who is also aimed at the traditional Chinese New Year feature.

Brown let in that he was actually glad when Time Odyssey was entered in Sunday’s race, but after Shaw said the Fortune Bowl was still a target, he knew he was in for a bit of a dilemma in the next week or so.

Time Odyssey (Corey Brown) coasts to the line an easy winner on Sunday.

“When Pat said he would run Time Odyssey in today’s race, I was yeah, good, that’s a great idea!” said Brown.

“But he just told me that he may still run him in the Fortune Bowl if he pulls up good. I mean Quechua has been so good to me and I know it’s the same owners (Avengers Stable), but I told Pat I will just go with what he does and what he thinks is best.

“But this horse (Time Odyssey) has just improved tenfold every time we raise the bar. No doubt it was not a top-class field he beat today, but he just toyed with them.

“I was worried it would be a stop-start race, but he had a terrific run throughout and the solid tempo served him well.”

Brown said the switch to the turf of the Fortune Bowl was a mere trifle as “good horses travel on anything”.

“No doubt some horses are better on turf or Polytrack, but I’m not worried about this bloke. He’ll put his best foot forward on either,” he said.

“All credit to Barend (Vorster) who rides him in trackwork and his trials. He knows the horse back to front and has been a key player to his success.

“I just got on at the right time and he’s just kept improving from there on in.”

While Shaw has the next few days to mull over a start in the Fortune Bowl, the one target which is already locked away is the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge and the last Leg, the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) he won with Quechua last year.

“Touch wood, he could be my Derby horse. He’s done nothing wrong so far and from the way he won his last two starts, he’s the right horse,” said the South African maestro.

“He had 59.5kg and gave away weight to most of them and still won easily today. We’ll play it by ear and I will check with the owners, but I could run him in the Fortune Bowl in nine days’ time.”

Sunday’s win was as straightforward as could be, with Brown tucking Time Odyssey in third place while race-leader Kings Ryker (Michael Rodd) set the tune with Xzuberance (Manoel Nunes) challenging 600m out in a bid to pinch the race, and presumably make the $7 favourite feel the full burden of his 59.5kg.

Xzuberance swept past Kings Ryker with ease but had no answer when Time Odyssey levelled up and burst clear to open up to an unassailable lead, six kilos’ pull in weights nothwithstanding.

Brown could afford to sit up and pose for the photo as they strolled in by three lengths from Eclipse Dancer (Alan Munro) with Shaw’s second runner Vertical Start (Barend Vorster) third another 1 ¾ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 39.08secs for the Polytrack mile.

With that fifth win adding to his five placings, Time Odyssey’s total earnings for the Avengers Stable have now swollen past the $260,000 mark.