Turn Me Loose was way too good in the G1 feature 3yo mile and after sitting outside the leader in a sedate run race that turned into a sprint home he gapped them the closing stages to score by three lengths. The field only had ten runners worryingly and half the field were not milers so the standard of the race must still be kept in reality check until a more reliable source of confirmation arises. Amazingly not a single South Island trained runner lined up. The strapping frame of Turn Me Loose and his clear turn of foot and therefore agility will stand him in good stead. He clocked 1:35 for the mile and that is just the sixth best time this century and is the fourteenth best time since 1980 so was nothing super. The stable of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman won the race last year with Atlante and he beat a Jason Bridgman prepared runner in Chambord so once again Cambridge beat Matamata. It was the sixth win in the race for jockey Opie Bosson with his first success coming in 1988 atop Danske in 1:34.41 for trainer Paul O’Sullivan (now training in Hong Kong). The runner up Rockfast and third placegetter Prince Mambo were both meritorious because they came from well back. Rockfast was last at one stage and drawn widest at the 300m before getting home hard to nab second late in the piece. He is still learning how to manage his sizable frame too but Team Te Akau must not like this silver medal stuff to the Baker/Forsman barn at G1 continuing. Prince Mambo was tardy and in the rear duo early before improving through to the midfield then getting onto a wide train with cover before the home turn. The filly Platinum Witness ran a game race for fourth after getting a nice sit and was third until late. She has scope and may back up next week in the G1 1000 Guineas when meeting the currently odds on O’Marilyn. Stratocaster wilted to fifth and was a tad disappointing but rider Craig Grylls clearly made a tactical blunder changing the normal racing pattern of the gelding. He is normally a swamper or a closer with one last surge on him so to kick up and get the trail on the inner was not a very clever plan at your first mile attempt and one wonders where this flawed gameplan was hatched. Riding Shotgun plugged on past the well beaten stoppers into sixth after having to be eased back to the rear due to being caught wide early. Seventh home to tenth were beaten between seventeen and twenty-two and a half lengths and are not milers at this level. The one thing learned for certain is the leader in the race Vinnie Eagle is a sprinter only as he punctured quickly the run home after getting a cheap time in front. Turn Me Loose when let loose brained this lot and there is a sound argument to be made he should in fact be an unbeaten colt with six-from-six. He was slaughtered on debut by Rory Hutchings to go down half a length into second then was in a cut throat dual at his third start for Bosson when nailed late into second. In the run before today he slipped at the start on the sand-slitted Te Rapa and settled a clear last (remember he is a natural on pacer) before running home strongly for third at G3 under Bosson into third behind O’Marilyn. It would not surprise if the colt is aimed at the G1 Australian Guineas next year at Flemington as he has not been tried clockwise yet so the Sydney Championships would be unlikely at this stage. His tactical speed could see if he stayed at home giving the older horses something to beat under WFA and if able to relax like today then 2000m should be attainable being out of a Danehill dam. Many options for the owners in the months ahead and next year could be an exciting time to bring it on.