Written by Trent Masenhelder
The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Our Turn Now (NZ) got his career off to the perfect start on Thursday, taking out Race 1 - a 1200-metre maiden - at Pakenham.
Our Turn Now is by Turn Me Loose (NZ), a three-time Group 1-winning son of Iffraaj (GB) who stands at Windsor Park Stud. Turn Me Loose already has a Group 1 winner, that being last year’s Sistema S. heroine, Licketysplit (NZ).
The gelding, a NZ$20,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Book 2 yearling purchase by Shaune Ritchie Racing/Barnarge Lodge, sat parked behind the speed in the five-horse field, before bursting through a gap and dashing away to record a 0.4l victory in 1:13.83 (on a soft 7).
Kent Jnr told Racing.com the 2-year-old will improve with race experience and when he gets out over more distance.
“That was very good, because he was in an awful spot when Craig Newitt (aboard Causation) backed the tempo off terribly mid-race,” he said.
“He’s a big, long-striding, wind up, mile-type… we were in all sorts of trouble, but I thought he did a great job to pick himself up and go through a tight gap on debut and find the line.
“He’s (Our Turn Now) a big, long-striding, wind up, mile-type… we were in all sorts of trouble, but I thought he did a great job to pick himself up and go through a tight gap on debut and find the line.” - Michael Kent Jnr
“He will appreciate time and a bit more ground.”
Our Turn Now is the third live foal from the unraced O’Reilly (NZ) mare O’Me O’My (NZ) and she herself is a half-sister to the Listed winner Single (High Chaparral {Ire}) and the stakes performers Ghayth (GB) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) and Ego (GB) (Green Desert {USA}).
His second dam, Myself (GB) (Nashwan {USA}), was a talented race mare, winning two races, including the Nell Gwyn S. at Newmarket in 1995. She is a three-quarter sister to the stakes performer Play Me (GB) (Nashwan {USA}) and a half-sister to the Group 3 scorer Bluebook (USA) (Secretariat {USA}).
Our Turn Now (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“It’s always difficult to win on debut here at Pakenham,” Kent Jnr added.
“He’s a quality horse.
“We’ll see how he pulls up; he’s an immature horse, so we’ll see whether we tip him out or go again.
“He’s an exciting horse with some great owners, we’ve got a lot of our good clients in this horse, including Kevin Payne - he races in his colours.”
Michael Kent Jnr and Mick Price | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Our Turn Now was piloted by Beau Mertens.
“It took him every bit of the straight to let down, but that shows he’s probably going to be a better horse over a bit further,” Mertens commented.
