Racing: Cup hotshot beaten in trial

Terror To Love is favourite at $3 to win a fourth NZ Trotting Cup at Addington on November 11. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Champion driver Ricky May says fans of Terror To Love shouldn't be put off by his third in a moderate comeback trial yesterday.

The three-time New Zealand Cup winner is the $3 favourite for the race at Addington on November 11 but finished just third of five in his first public outing for the season at Rangiora yesterday.

After settling a long way from the leaders, Terror To Love was parked when trying to improve from 20 lengths off the front-runners so May opted to drive him conservatively.

"It was a strange trial," says May.

"We got a long way off the lead and one of the other drivers, who seemed happier to have a quiet trial, then changed his mind and sped up when we tried to go around him.

"So I just sat on him up the home straight and didn't ask him to pull out and sprint.

"But he felt great and it was a perfect starting point, so I wouldn't be put off by him not winning a trial."

May says the millionaire entire looks superb as he enters his 7-year-old season with the only real allowance for his age being he may be given an extra trial before he races.

"He will have another trial at Ashburton next Tuesday and then maybe one more after that, which means he will have one more than last season, before he starts at Addington on September 26."

Terror To Love will race at Addington two weeks later then at Ashburton on Labour Monday, following his usual New Zealand Cup path, ending in the Cup trial six days out from the $700,000 holy grail of harness racing.

That he is $3 for the Cup with the TAB is ridiculous, although the bookies kept him unders all the way through last season's market and were proven right.

Those shopping for better value can get as much as $6 in Australia, so the discrepancy is huge.

His arch rival Christen Me will be back at Addington this Friday where he is likely to meet former stablemate Locharburn, who he beat in the first Cup lead-up race at Addington two weeks ago.

Christen Me and Locharburn could meet Northern Derby winner Tiger Tara and Pass Them By as well as former North Island pacer Pure Power, who has spent much of the past two years in Sydney.

Also returning at Addington could be one of the forgotten stars of open class trotting in Habibti.

The former multiple Derby and Oaks winner won at group one, open class level in Australia last season and although put aside after a lacklustre start to her summer she has an enormous array of options this season.

Also close to a return is last season's National Trot winner Irish Whisper, who ran second at the Alexandra Park workouts on Saturday.

He went one better later that night when he won the Trotter of the Year title at the annual North Island Awards dinner at Alexandra Park.

Champion mare Adore Me won two awards, including aged pacer, while Barry Purdon was named top trainer and Zac Butcher leading driver for last season.

Maurice McKendry won the racing achievement award for becoming only the second horseperson to rein 3000 winners in New Zealand, while the outstanding contribution award went to Richard and Julija Brosnan for their success on the track and work as administrators and volunteers over three decades.