Turn Me Loose Filly Chasing More Black Type Success

Tara Madgwick - Thursday July 20

Trainer Andrew Forsman is hunting more black-type with Wessex when she heads south to New Plymouth on Saturday to tackle the Listed Sinclair Electrical And Refrigeration Opunake Cup (1400m).

Wessex will contest the Listed Opunake Cup (1400m) at New Plymouth on Saturday. Photo: Trish Dunell

The Turn Me Loose filly has already tasted stakes success, winning the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m) in May, but she is out for redemption after fading to finish fourth after setting at hot tempo upfront in the transferred Listed Tauranga Classic (1400m) at Hastings earlier this month.

Forsman has been pleased with the way she has come through the run and is expecting her to bounce back to her best at New Plymouth this weekend.

“She has come through it really well. It is hard travelling and copping races on testing tracks, but she seems to be coping with it really well,” he said.

With 101-rated gelding Justaskme in the field, Wessex won’t get as much weight relief from the majority of her rivals as Forsman would have liked.

“With him (Justaskme) condensing the weights, it doesn’t help her as much, she is not getting weight off Deerfield and other well performed horses that she probably should be getting weight off,” he said.

“It does make it a little bit tough, but it is nice to drop back to 53kg.”

Wessex will jump from barrier 14 and will be ridden by leading jockey Michael McNab.

“It (barrier) is probably okay for her. On wet ground it is not too much of a disadvantage to be drawn out wide,” Forsman said.

“She will naturally roll forward and put herself in the race at some point. Being out there means she can do it in her own time.”

Wessex has been installed a $4 favourite for Saturday’s feature, with Justaskme on the second line of betting at $4.80.

Forsman doesn’t having any set plans for Wessex after the weekend but hasn’t ruled out a trip across the Tasman to join his Macedon Lodge barn.

“It (Opunake Cup) has always been the intermediary target, just to chip away and get as much black-type on the board as we can,” Forsman said.

Advertisement

“She has had a few tough races and a fair bit of travelling, so we will have to keep that in-mind and just see how she comes through it.

“That (Australia) would be up to the ownership group, it is certainly a possibility. We have to just make sure there are the right races for her. She would have to run really well on Saturday to justify that.”

Forsman is also excited about the prospects of last start winner Turn The Ace in the Punter Of The Year Now November 4th (1400m) at Tauranga on Saturday.

“Elen (Nicholas, jockey) did a great job on him last start and it is a shame she can’t stick with him,” Forsman said.

“We couldn’t really have him going around carrying 60-kilos and Donovan (Cooper) has been doing a little bit of work for us recently, so it is good to reward him.

“He will effectively go around and only carry half a kilo more than he did to win last time. He does look pretty well placed.”

Meanwhile, Forsman is looking forward to sending some reinforcements over to his Macedon Lodge barn in the coming weeks.

The Cambridge conditioner trialled four juveniles at Cambridge on Tuesday, including Group One performer Aprilia, with the quartet set to campaign in Melbourne this spring.

“They are four nice horses that we are trying to get up and get a line on,” Forsman said.

“All going well they will head to Melbourne in the next week or so and hopefully campaign over there.

“Those rising three-year-olds are best placed over there at this stage and then there are a few here that will have a couple of runs and perhaps head over later.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Visit the profile page for Turn Me Loose

Turn Me Loose in upcoming sales:
Advertisment
More Reading...
Flying Artie Filly Wins $100,000 Super Maiden for Ingham Family
Blue Gum Farm’s Flying Artie has a very strong crop of three year-olds running for him this season and a promising filly that can call $10million earner Fangirl ‘Aunt FannyG’ was his latest winner when scoring at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Seeking Slipper Success? Seek Sejardan
The Gr.1 Golden Slipper Stakes - the world's richest juvenile event and Australia's premier test of juvenile speed.
Tempted's Task is Tough in the Rose
There has been one lone filly win the Golden Rose but that was before it became a Group One, with the count since being zero.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday September 23
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
New G3 Winner for Turn Me Loose
Free-going three-year-old filly Wessex proved too swift for her older rivals in Saturday’s Gr.3 Rotorua ITM Stakes (1400m) as she secured a dominant front-running victory.
Stakes Potential for Talented Wootton Bassett Colt
The John O’Shea and Tom Charton stable produced Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Napoleonic to break his maiden at Wyong by five lengths at the start of the month and he made it back to back wins when scoring a stylish victory at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Wessex Lets Loose
Wessex, the brilliant second-crop daughter of Turn Me Loose who won the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes last Saturday, further enhanced her own value as well as her young sire’s growing tally of stakes winners to become Turn Me Loose’s third three-year-old Group winner this season and seventh individual stakes winner to date.
Merchant Navy 3YO Ready to Strike Form
Cody Cole is keeping his options open with talented three-year-old Landlock as wet weather threatens to halt his initial plan to contest Saturday’s Gr.2 Timberspan Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) at Te Rapa.
Change of Barrier Luck for Written By's Tale of the Gypsy
Lady Luck has finally smiled on talented filly Tale Of The Gypsy, who has been plagued by wide barriers throughout her short career to date.
Obucci Breaks Through For Hanseatic At Sandown
With a last start second behind Frankel filly Chateau Eze who went on to record a Listed second at her next start in the Jim Maloney Stakes, the Phillip Stokes trained Hanseatic filly Obucci was sent out at double figure odds at Sandown on Wednesday, breaking her maiden by three parts of a length.