A
New Zealand Group performer has joined the stable of a history-making American
trainer.
Cut Me Loose is now under the care of Wesley Ward, the first United
States-based conditioner to ship a horse to England and win a stakes race at
the Royal Ascot meeting.
A former Group One-winning jockey, he produced Strike the Tiger to win the 2009
Listed Windsor Castle Stakes (1000m) and the following day stablemate Jealous
Again claimed the Gr.2 Queen Mary Stakes (1000m).
Ward has since won the Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) in 2015 with
Undrafted, who beat Chris Waller's Brazen Beau, and last year claimed the Gr.1
King's Stand Stakes (1000m) with Lady Aurelia.
His Kiwi import Cut Me Loose is raced by Westbury Stud principal Gerry Harvey, who
stands the four-year-old's sire Swiss Ace at his Karaka operation.
"He had four starts in New Zealand for two wins and ran third in the Wellington
Guineas," former trainer Shaune Ritchie said.
"He's a very talented horse, but he had a bleed in trackwork and I said to
(Westbury Stud manager) Russell Warwick that I wasn't that comfortable about
getting the horse back to the races.
"We had a talk about it and suggested Gerry send him to America where he can
run on Lasix to help the bleeding.
"The horse is currently in Miami and they are very happy with him. I've spoken
on the phone with Wes a couple of times.
"He races on both coasts and he's invited us over there so we'd love to go and
see how they do things." – NZ Racing Desk.