Turn The Ace returned to his favourite track at Te Rapa on Saturday and immediately bounced back into the winner’s enclosure with a dominant front-running victory in open company over 1400m.
The strapping son of Turn Me Loose had won three of his six starts at the Hamilton venue, including in Listed company as a two-year-old, with trainer Andrew Forsman believing he would relish the better going on offer after failing on a puggy Heavy10 surface at Tauranga last week.
“We were left scratching our heads a little last week as he stripped very fit but didn’t really fire at Tauranga last Saturday,” Forsman said.
“I really think he just doesn’t handle it when it is sticky or holding, he needs either good ground or a loose, winter track.
“He didn’t appear to take any harm from the run so I thought he is well suited at Te Rapa and he would get in at a nice weight with just the 54kgs.”
Leading rider Michael McNab showed plenty of initiative to send the four-year-old to the front after a somewhat sluggish beginning, where he set up a steady tempo.
McNab kicked him clear at the top of the straight and despite being challenged in the closing stages by last start winner Digger, Turn The Ace held his rivals by a comfortable two-length margin in a smart 1.25.67 for the journey on the Heavy8 rated surface.
“We thought there might be a little bit of speed on, but when they were mucking around a little Michael decided to go forward and lead,” Forsman said.
“He did say he was a little worried he may have spent a bit too much petrol, but the horse found a really good kick and he was holding them out nicely at the line.
“He is getting to a tricky place in the weights now, so we might tick him over and go to the 1600m back at Te Rapa in a fortnight.
“We did have him nominated for the Winter Cup (Gr.3, 1600m) at Riccarton next week but pulled the pin on that as it is a long way down there and if he got the wrong type of track it would pretty much end his season.”
Purchased by Forsman for $30,000 out of the Cambridge Stud draft during the Book 1 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2020, Turn The Ace has now won six of his 17 starts and more than $150,000 in prizemoney.