 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2011
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
2011 CHRISTCHURCH CASINO NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP
Greatness has come early for Terror To Love - and for Paul Court as well. As the partner with his father Graham, Court has prepared the winner of the Christchurch Casino New Zealand Cup in just his fourth season as a trainer. And Terror To Love has won the jewel in the harness racing crown at just his 26th start.
In the euphoria of the occasion, Paul still the feet of his long legs on the ground. "Dad has had a lifetime in the game and has done the hard yards. He's had a lot of nice horses, but you're fortunate to get one like this, with so much speed and the stamina to go with it. I'm a bit of a passenger, but I really appreciate the hard work that goes into it," said the 32-year-old, who plans to return and set up a stable in Canada next year. Paul did the hard yards of his own, usheredup by his father to follow the Prime Minister John Key, address th huge crowd and accept the trophy that went to the winning trainers.
Terror To Love, a Western Terror 4-year-old bred by Terry McDonald from the Live Or Die mare Love To Live, was recognised as a young talent as an early 2-year-old and confirmed it by winning the Sapling Stakes in that season. He could have been the best of his age at three, and possibly was, but he had dreadful luck in some of thne classics especially the Northern Derby. When the curtain came down on his 3-year-old campaign, Graham considered his immediate future and aimed high. "He always had this high speed, and he could stay as well. It seemed to me that there were really no standouts as far as the Cup was concerned, and some of them had been in that class for a while. I'd had some nice horses, bu nothing like this, and nine out of ten of the good ones I'd had, had been sold."
Court told owner McDonald of his plan. McDonald was pleased to hear it, but he'd heard them before. Only a year ago, he was sitting pretty with one of the race favourites, Stunin Cullen, only to be disappointed. He'd been in the game long enough to know more failures than success. McDonald had met Court through a cousin while he was in Dunedin, and he's lost count of the horses he's had in the stable. He says dozens and dozens, but that could be on the very light side.
In any event, Terror To Love is the special horse that has taken them from endless hope to a pinnacle few make. Court gave McDonald words of confidence the day before the race, pleasing McDonald with the odds he'd got when the market opened. They were probably on the same page when they saw the horse track Smiling Shard up in the middle stage, only to see him slide back as others made hopeful runs. "It was lovely for a while, but I thought we might be in a bit of a bother when he started getting back," said Court.
On the track, Curtin was thinking much the same. "I'd had a good run, and then we were back to where we came from, and I could see going down the back they were a wee way ahead of me. It's not too often I come that wide on the corner, but he was up to it."
Smoken Up was a fading second, again finding 3200m a journey too far after leading Rangataua Ray for two laps, and only held second by a nose from Highview Tommy who was equal last with Smiling Shard at the 600m.
McDonald, who also bred Michael's Magic, the grandam of Terror To Love by Michael Jonathan, has younger half-sisters to Terror To Love by Artsplace, Christian Cullen and Mach Three and the mare is due to foal to Somebeachsomewhere.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 10Nov11