If there’s anything to a name, then the Windsor Park Stud resident Turn Me Loose (NZ) lived right up to his last weekend. At Ellerslie on Sunday, he had his first Group 1 winner with the juvenile filly Lickety Split (NZ) in the Sistema S., while at Morphettville a day later, he had the 3-year-old Ancient Girl (NZ) win the Listed Morphettville Guineas.
It was a bonanza long weekend for the stallion, even if it came a week too late for the New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale.
Co-trainer Andrew Forsman leads Lickety Split (NZ) back to the winners’ enclosure after winning the G1 Sistema S. at Ellerslie | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
“It would have been nice to have those results the week before,” said Windsor Park studmaster Rodney Schick. “But as they say, this business is a long game and you look to the future. You don’t look backwards.”
Lickety Split and Ancient Girl brought up stakes-winners number three and four for 10-year-old Turn Me Loose. He’d already had Alabama Gold (NZ) win the G3 Matamata Slipper S. last February, and Turn The Ace (NZ) was a Listed winner at Te Rapa last May.
Both of these latter horses were 2-year-olds, bringing up a total now of three juvenile stakes winners for Turn Me Loose in just two crops of racing age.
Turn Me Loose (NZ) | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
It brings the stallion’s numbers to 16 total winners from 54 starters, with four stakes winners for two Group wins.
Like father, like progeny
Turn Me Loose retired to Windsor Park Stud in 2017, where he served his first book of 145 mares. In 2021 he served his fifth book, which numbered 103 mares.
Often, the third and fourth seasons can be make-or-break for a stallion, but in New Zealand, Schick said there’s not as much pressure.
“The one thing about New Zealand stallions is that we’ve got a little bit more time,” the studmaster said. “Our horses are bred to get over a bit more ground, and they’re later-maturing than Australian horses. So we like to see them as four and 5-year-olds before we really judge them.”
“The one thing about New Zealand stallions is that we’ve got a little bit more time... we like to see them as four and 5-year-olds before we really judge them.” - Rodney Schick
The oldest of the Turn Me Loose progeny are 3-year-olds, so the stallion has got off the blocks very well by Schick’s standards.
“He’s got three stakes-winning 2-year-olds and a stakes-winning 3-year-old already for only two crops running, and among them a Group 1 winner,” Schick said. “He’s doing a really good job already, and they’ll only get better with time.”
This diversity of winners bodes well for Turn Me Loose, but it isn’t surprising.
Rodney Schick | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
The son of Iffraaj (GB) was a juvenile winner himself, running first and second in a pair of races in New Zealand as a 2-year-old.
As a 3-year-old he was a Classic winner, victorious in the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas. At four, he won both the G1 Emirates S. at Flemington and the G1 Futurity S. at Caulfield.
At five, Turn Me Loose was second to Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) in the G1 CF Orr S.
“One hundred per cent, I’d be expecting his progeny to be as versatile as he was,” Schick said. “We like to see horses perform at two, three and four when we stand them, so we know they are physically and mentally strong enough to stand up to an early career and then train on.
Turn Me Loose (NZ) when racing | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
“At this stage, it looks like that’s what we’re getting from Turn Me Loose. I’m probably a bit surprised that he’s had three stakes-winning 2-year-olds. It’s a nice surprise, especially a Group-winning 2-year-old, but they are horses that will get better as they get older.”
Home-spun success
The juvenile filly Lickety Split is trained at Cambridge by the Murray Baker-Andrew Forsman team. She’s now two wins for two starts, and she was a very tough winner of the G1 Sistema S. last Sunday, just getting the best of the Te Akau Racing colt Dynastic (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}).
Lickety Split’s victory meant that Baker and Forsman, who co-trained Turn Me Loose, have now trained the stallion’s first winner, his first stakes winner and his first Group 1 winner.
Lickety Split’s victory meant that Baker and Forsman, who co-trained Turn Me Loose, have now trained the stallion’s first winner, his first stakes winner and his first Group 1 winner.
The result was also a superb quinella for the Iffraaj line, with the winner of the Sistema S. sired by a son of Iffraaj and, in Dynamic's case, by a grandson. It was a cool reminder of the success of the sireline in New Zealand, with Iffraaj’s final yearlings selling through Karaka last week.
For Windsor Park Stud, Lickety Split’s Group 1 success was also cause for a party.
The filly was bred and is co-owned by Dean Hawkins, of Wentwood Grange Stud, and Nick Hewson, Hewson being the nominations manager at Windsor Park.
“They both worked here as 18-year-olds,” Schick said. “It was pretty exciting then for Turn Me Loose’s first Group 1 winner to be for a couple of guys who worked or work here on the farm.
“And then Ancient Girl, who we sold in Melbourne, was also bred by guys who worked on the farm. Jason Thomasen and David Morris bred and sold her, and so it’s been really special that guys who have been part of our farm bred those two good winners. Sunday night was a big night for us, needless to say.”
Local produce
Turn Me Loose was raced in partnership by Lindsay de Souza and Todd Hartley.
Hartley had picked up the horse for NZ$52,500 at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, the horse bred and sold by Mana Park.
Turn Me Loose won over $1.7 million in prizemoney across his two seasons on the turf, providing his owners with a more than 30-fold return on their initial investment. The stallion was crowned Champion Sprinter and Middle Distance performer at the close of his 4-year-old season.
Turn Me Loose (NZ) as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of NZB
“I had a lot to do with Lindsay de Souza through being an agent, and he owned the horse with a group of people,” Schick said. “I’d always followed him, so when he retired I sat down with Lindsay and Todd and brokered a deal.”
Windsor Park Stud bought a majority share of Turn Me Loose, with de Souza and Hartley staying in for 25 per cent. He’s not a syndicated stallion, and he suits the current roster nicely at Windsor Park, according to Schick.
“We’ve got a bunch of young stallions at the moment,” he said. “He fits right into what we’re looking for. He’s very good-looking and he was a top-class racehorse.
“It’s very hard for New Zealand horses to win a 1400-metre weight-for-age race in Australia as this horse did in the Futurity, so he had that ability to do it, and it looks like he’s starting to leave high-class racehorses too.”
“It’s very hard for New Zealand horses to win a 1400-metre weight-for-age race in Australia as this horse (Turn Me Loose) did in the Futurity, so he had that ability to do it, and it looks like he’s starting to leave high-class racehorses too.” - Rodney Schick
That Kiwi-bred element is an important local selling point.
New Zealand-bred sires, be they in Australia or local, have been doing important business in the last handful of years. There’s Dundeel (NZ) at Arrowfield Stud, and the likes of Zabeel (NZ) and O’Reilly (NZ) in the past. Savabeel, while Australian-bred, has kicked goals all over Australasia from Waikato Stud.
“New Zealand-bred horses are pretty good, but it doesn’t really matter to me when it comes to standing any stallion at Windsor Park,” Schick said. “We’re after high-class racehorses, at the end of the day, be they New Zealand or Australian-bred.”
Sham adds to the glory
Turn Me Loose stands alongside fellow New Zealand-bred sire Shamexpress (NZ), who enjoyed back-to-back Group 1 glory with the 6-year-old mare Coventina Bay (NZ).
Shamexpress (NZ) | Standing at Windsor Park Stud
After a last-start victory in the G1 Herbie Dyke S. at Te Rapa, Coventina Bay won the G1 Bonecrusher S. on Sunday ahead of Vernanme (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and The Chosen One (NZ) (Savabeel). It brought her wins to 11 off 22 lifetime starts.
She was also the seventh stakes winner for Shamexpress, who is 12-years old and who entered stud in 2014. Coventina Bay won her race the day after the G1 Newmarket H. was occurring at Flemington, a race not only won by a Kiwi-bred in Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), but also a race that her sire Shamexpress won in 2013.
“He’s doing a good job too,” Schick said. “He’s got Shamus coming up, who’ll be favourite for the Group 1 at Wellington on Saturday, and he’s really getting there with the small numbers that he’s had.”
Shamexpress’ books numbered 130 in 2018, then dropped to 62 in 2019 and they’ve been 17 and 57 in the last two seasons.
As such, horses like Coventina Bay and Shamus (NZ), who has already won the G2 Wellington Guineas ahead of his tilt this weekend at the G1 Levin Classic at Trentham, are significant.
“Black-type results mean everything at any time of the year, but especially ahead of a breeding season,” Schick said. “Sham’s numbers are quite low but for what he’s got on the track, he’s been doing a great job.
“Turn Me Loose has got some momentum going forward now, and his statistics would shape up as good as any that have been at stud at the same stage as he’s at. It’s very exciting.”
Gallery: Shamexpress' (NZ) recent Group winners, images courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
At Karaka last week, Turn Me Loose’s best yearling result was Lot 295, a colt from the Hallmark Stud draft that sold for NZ$110,000 to Henry Dwyer Racing. Among other buyers of the Book 1 progeny were Bevan Smith Bloodstock, David Ellis and Beamish Bloodstock.
Shamexpress, meanwhile, had just three yearlings in the catalogue but they sold very well. Lot 405, a colt, sold for NZ$150,000 to Pike Racing, while a second colt, Lot 54, went to Waikato Racing for NZ$125,000. Ciaron Maher picked up the other, Lot 19, for NZ$65,000.
