GARY Portelli was ticking off a bucket list item at the Calgary Stampede during the holiday of a lifetime when “The Natural” had his first track gallop at Warwick Farm a few months ago.

“I got a call from my staff and everyone was blown away by what Time To Reign showed them that morning,’’ Portelli said.

The trainer in Portelli wanted to jump on the first plane home — but the holiday with his wife, Kellie, had been three years in the planning.

“Kellie and I were away in North America and we were leaving Calgary to travel to Alaska,’’ Portelli said. “I knew the colt was in good hands back home but it was an exciting call to receive when we were overseas.’’

Time To Reign is a half-brother to Portelli’s 2017 Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign and the natural ability he was showing during those winter months in Sydney came as no surprise to the trainer.

Portelli first inspected the colt as a yearling at Yarraman Park Stud some months earlier and was so taken by what he saw, he was on the phone to She Will Reign’s syndicate of owners immediately.

“I said to the owners of She Will Reign they should all think about ‘stumping’ up and trying to buy this colt,’’ the trainer said. “We went to the (Magic Millions) sales and he paraded like we wanted him to. He was a bit on the small side but that probably helped us.’’

Portelli was able to secure the Time To War-Courgette colt for $325,000 with some of She Will Reign’s owners, including syndicator Scott Darby, along for the ride.

There are no guarantees in racing and breeding – the only siblings to win the Golden Slipper remain the full brothers Skyline (1958) and Skyline (1960) – but Portelli felt this colt was worth the investment.

“There were relations to Group 2 and Group 3 winners at that sale going for double what we got this colt for and he is a half to a Group 1 winner,’’ Portelli said.

An acknowledged master trainer of juveniles, Portelli enjoys training the young horses.

“It’s a bit like watching your kids playing in their first game of footy, everything they do on the track is a reflection of what you have done with them at training,’’ the trainer said.

“I find they are a challenge and they are the result of the hard work all our staff put in to them. We take a lot of care with our young horses. You soon learn if they can cope, structurally, with the pressures of racing as two-year-olds.

“The ones that do turn up we let them race as two-year-olds, but the ones that have issues like growing pains or are not quite there, we turn them out until they are ready.

“But the natural ones like this colt are like those little kids you see out on the football field who can pass the ball left or right, kick over the top, regather and score. The naturals show it straight away.’’

From that first gallop when Portelli was overseas, Time To Reign has continued to progress to the point where was ready to go to the races at Randwick two weeks ago.

And just like his older sister, Time To Reign made a winning debut in the Kirkham Plate, scoring easily by two-and-a-quarter lengths.

“Time To Reign and She Will Reign might have the same sort of speed but the difference is he is a bit of a thinker, he is wary,’’ Portelli said.

“He is still learning. When he gets to the front, he doesn’t know what to do. She Will Reign was the opposite, she would go to the lead and put the foot down, she would run through a brick wall for you.’’

But Portelli said Time To Reign can only be improved by race experience and he believes the colt is $1.45 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds to maintain his unbeaten record in the Lack Group Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

“We will know more about where we are going after this race but if he was to win then we will give him a break and we are ready for the autumn,’’ Portelli said.

“He worked really sharply early this week and goes to Rosehill as good as I can get him.

“The opposition, you just don’t know, there could be the Golden Slipper winner in the field, but it is there job to beat him.’’

Portelli’s other two Rosehill runners, Ronstar and Strome, are both returning after very good late autumn-winter campaigns.

Ronstar, who is first-up in the Dynation Sales And Hire Handicap (1200m), created a good impression at his debut preparation winning his first two starts, both at Rosehill over the 1200m course, before a third behind Toulouse over 1400m on the same track.

In one of his wins, Ronstar defeated boom colt Diplomatico, one of the favourites for the Group 1 $1 million Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

Portelli did have Ronstar ready to resume in Brian Crowley Stakes at Randwick two weeks ago but withdrew the chestnut gelding on race morning due to the heavy track conditions. The Team Hawkes-trained Diplomatico scored impressively that day to earn his trip to Melbourne.

“I didn’t think he was ready for a heavy track first up from a spell,’’ Portelli said.

“The decision was made to trial him instead and he is going to the races spot on. He is the horse to beat for mine.’’

Although Ronstar has a decision over Diplomatico, Portelli concedes he will have a clearer understanding of where his young sprinter rates in the pecking order after tomorrow’s race.

“I know Ronstar beat Diplomatico but that horse was a bit unlucky,’’ the trainer admitted.

“When he was winning as a two-year-old, he was beating up those horses in winter so it’s hard to get a line on him. We will know more about his ability this preparation.’’

Ronstar has only five rivals tomorrow but it is a field of promising three-year-olds including the superbly bred unbeaten duo, Roheryn (Lonhro-Mannington) and Brazilica (Redoute’s Choice-Brazilian Pulse), and the emerging The Tenor, a minor placegetter in the Brian Crowley Stakes.

Portelli concedes there is improvement to come from Ronstar but has the gelding primed to sprint well fresh.

“He is still a bit of an ugly duckling, he has that big sway back and his coat is not quite right,’’ the trainer said. “But he is promising and we will give him one or two runs this campaign then look to the autumn with him.’’

Portelli’s improving mare Strome, who won four of her six races when last in work, resumes in the AMWU Handicap (1200m).

Strome has drawn the outside barrier in the 10-horse field but Portelli has booked apprentice Robbie Dolan and his 3kg claim reduces the mare’s handicap to 51kg.

“She has become difficult to place because her 76 benchmark rating was earned at the provincials last campaign,’’ Portelli said.

“So she has to go straight to Saturday grade which will be a test for her. Her trial was fantastic last week and I’m sure she will run well.’’