Racing: Ace pacer's shot at history

NZ Herald·

10 Nov, 2014 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Terror To Love wins his first NZ Trotting Cup in 2011. Photo / Tayler Strong

While you may think three-time winner is due some bad luck, Terror To Love deserves things to go right today.

Terror To Love has an ace up his sleeve as he tries to become the greatest pacer in the history of the New Zealand Cup today.

The magnificent stallion is already one of only three horses to win arguably New Zealand's best race three times so at Addington today he gets the chance to stand in a spotlight all of his own - the only four-time New Zealand Cup champion.

If successful it will rank up with Blacks A Fake's four Inter Dominions as the most remarkable domination of one of the elite pacing races ever in this part of the world.

But as good as Terror To Love is over 3200m at Addington, winning four New Zealand Cups should be impossible.

To win one requires so much to go right: the combination of right lead-up form, health, racing luck and the split second driving decisions that ensure you don't lose crucial momentum, so often a killer over 3200m.

After three Cup wins it would seem logical that luck has been all used up, that the percentages are against Terror To Love today.

But those who believe in karma, luck or percentages might want to double their bet on the King of the Cup because he is actually due some good Cup luck.

His first Cup win defied logic after, as a raw four-year-old he moved to sit parked mid-race, was pushed back to near last and yet still came five wide to grab Smoken Up in a jaw-dropper.

The next season Ricky May gave him the perfect drive to win his second Cup but last year's race could hardly have gone worse.

He missed away, lost 30m and settled second while in-form Fly Like An Eagle led and Christen Me trailed.

Winning from there should have been impossible but he paced his last 3200m post to post in a previously unheard of 3:54 to win, admittedly after getting the lead cheaper than expected in the middle stages.

So while you might think a three-time winner is due some bad luck, Terror To Love actually deserves something to go right today.

If it does he should win because while today's field has more depth than the previous three years, at his best on this track over this trip he is superior to his rivals.

The major concerns are his hippity hop standing start manners but his wide draw should see him stand for less time than most of his rivals, which brings his recent Flying Stakes defeat more sharply into focus.

He was a fast finishing fifth at Ashburton but lost the back of Christen Me at the 300m mark before closing again in the last 100m.

That confirmed he may not have the sheer speed of Christen Me off a slow speed but New Zealand Cups are rarely dawdles and Terror To Love's previous Cup efforts suggest he can be electrifying at the end of the toughest 3200m.

He won't want to be giving Christen Me, Adore Me or Hands Christian a big start at the 800m.

But with May never more confident than when driving the $2.2 million earner, it is unlikely he won't be in the thick of the fight when the sprint goes on.

With his win at Addington two starts ago as good as any of his previous Cup lead-up victories, today's race is Terror To Love's to lose and this rarest of pages in its history books his to write.

If he does race below his best or Lady Luck finally decides to really stick it to him, then Christen Me is the best winning hope, Hands Christian the best each way value and Adore Me the one who could win and rival Terror To Love for adoration.

Add in a more serious Australian challenge from For A Reason and to a lesser extent Seel N Print and this is the field Terror To Love should have to conquer if he wants to become the greatest New Zealand Cup horse ever.