Emirates Stakes 2015: Turn Me Loose Might Not Lead

Trainer Murray Baker has revealed that Turn Me Loose might not take up the running in the early stages of the 2015 Emirates Stakes at Flemington tomorrow.

Turn Me Loose stamped himself as an Emirates Stakes contender with his front-running win in the Crystal Mile. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Turn Me Loose stamped himself as an Emirates Stakes contender with his front-running win in the Crystal Mile. Photo by: Ultimate Racing Photos

Turn Me Loose made his Australian racing debut with a close second behind Worthy Cause in the Listed Paris Lane Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on October 4 and he led from start to finish to record a dominant win in the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) ay Seymour on October 18 before he led again when he stamped himself as a genuine Emirates Stakes contender when he upstaged Bow Creek and Lucky Hussler in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley on October 24.

Baker admits that Turn Me Loose has an extremely high cruising speed and he confident he will be settled close to the speed, but he told Racing Ahead that jockey Kerrin McEvoy does not have to lead on the son of Iffraaj in the 2015 Emirates Stakes.

“I would say he will be thereabouts,” Baker said.

“He doesn’t have to lead and he has won a couple of races running off the pace, so I will just leave that to the rider.

“He has won on a soft track in New Zealand, as a two-year-old against an average lot, but we think that he will handle it.

“I think he should run a nice race.”

While Baker is unsure exactly where Turn Me Loose will settle in the early stages of the 2015 Emirates Stakes, he could not be happier with the physical condition of the four-year-old ahead of the Group 1 event.

Baker said that Turn Me Loose had taken no harm from his soft victory in the Crystal Mile and he believes that the New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner still has plenty of improvement left in him ahead of the 2015 Emirates Stakes.

“He has bounced through it,” Baker said

“He is doing well.

“He did it pretty easily – I don’t think that he touched him behind the saddle and he just gave him a flick at the 100 metres from the finish.

“Opie said that he could have gone another furlong easily.”

Turn Me Loose is currently available at 2015 Emirates Stakes odds of $7.50 with Ladbrokes and he is on the third line of betting behind Godolphin-owned Bow Creek ($4.80) and unlucky Mackinnon Stakes runner Magic Artist ($5.50).

Don’t miss out on best odds for every single race at Flemington on Saturday with Ladbrokes, who are offering Best Tote or SP +20% on all nine races!

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.