Outstanding galloper Turn Me Loose to stand in New Zealand

11 MAY 2017 | BY WINDSOR PARK STUD

Triple Group One winner Turn Me Loose, one of Australasia’s fastest and toughest milers, has been secured by Windsor Park Stud to stand at their Cambridge-based nursery this spring.

Windsor Park studmaster Rodney Schick is understandably excited to have Turn Me Loose join their stallion roster for 2017.

“I loved his outstanding looks and physicality when I first saw him and coupled with his cracking race performance, it just heightened my desire to have him in our stallion lineup”.

“To have the speed and class to win a 1400m WFA Group One race in Australia requires exceptional talent which he had in spades”, said Schick.

A classic winning three-year-old, Turn Me Loose cemented his position at the head of the best milers of his generation with formidable Gr.1 winning performances at Melbourne’s highly acclaimed Spring and Autumn Racing Carnivals.

More highly rated than champion sires Savabeel and Thorn Park, Turn Me Loose, together with Kermadec, rated the equal highest colt of his generation in the Miling category by Timeform.

Turn Me Loose was crowned Champion Sprinter and Middle Distance performer at the completion of his 4YO season and retires to stud a triple Group One winner of seven races from 1200m to 1600m with his prizemoney earnings exceeding $1.7 million.

A juvenile winner at two, Turn Me Loose showed himself to be a class above his three-year-old contemporaries with a dominant three length classic victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.

Upon travelling to Australia for an Autumn 3YO campaign Turn Me Loose contracted travel sickness with the consequence that he was sidelined for the remainder of his 3YO season.

He returned to Australian racing as a 4YO at the Spring Carnival where he confirmed his class as an elite level performer with a trio of black-type victories culminating with success in the Gr.1 VRC Emirates Stakes over 1600m at Flemington.

The following Autumn in Melbourne Turn Me Loose transitioned to a Group One Weight-For-Age winner when successful in the MRC Futurity Stakes at Caulfield where he defeated eight other Group One winners.

Turn Me Loose was trained throughout his career by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman. Baker, New Zealand’s most successful trainer of Australian Gr.1 winners commented:

“Turn Me Loose is one of the few horses I’ve had good enough to beat Australia’s best sprinter/milers. He’s a big strong horse who can run very fast sectionals”.

Turn Me Loose is the best performed galloper by internationally successful sire Iffraaj, whose 48 stakes winners to date include this season’s top Australasian 3YO’s Gingernuts (New Zealand Derby, Rosehill Guineas) and Jon Snow (Australian Derby).

A leading global sire, Iffraaj’s Gr.1 winning progeny also include champion European 2YO fillies Rizeena and Chriselliam as well as champion colts Ribchester and Wootton Bassett.

Iffraaj is also an emerging sire of sires with his son Wootton Bassett siring Europe’s 2016 highest rated racehorse Almanzor in his first crop of runners.

From an internationally successful family, Turn Me Loose is the only colt to date produced by Indomitable, a daughter of the breed-shaping sire Danehill while his second dam Kwan, by Sadler’s Wells, is a half-sister to three Group winners including European Gr.1 winning 2YO Fairy Heights.

Turn Me Loose will stand his initial stud season for a service fee of $15,000+GST which includes a Live Foal Guarantee.