What a horse and what a driver.
Terror To Love and Ricky May both etched their places in New Zealand Trotting Cup history yesterday, but you would hardly have guessed it as May put on his silks for the last race on the card, less than an hour after Terror To Love's third cup triumph.
May is the epitome of a laidback Kiwi bloke, and will no doubt be back on his Methven farm tomorrow, doing what needs to be done.
He never panicked in yesterday's $650,000 New Zealand Cup - even after Terror To Love lost at least 20m after the start when he made a rare mistake.
But May knows Terror To Love.
''I never gave up on him,'' May said.
''I knew how good he is, but you don't expect to look up and see Christen Me 40m in front of you. I was thinking it was all over.''
Christen Me was tucked away in the trail behind leader Fly Like An Eagle, but a stroke of luck came when Fly Like An Eagle's driver, Mark Purdon, elected to hand up to Terror To Love with 800m to go.
''I was hoping he [Purdon] would, but I wasn't going to push the issue.
''I took my time getting there. I thought if he did [hand up] it would help his chances as much as mine.''
Despite the slow start and the extra effort Terror To Love had to put in to make the front, May was delighted to find how much petrol was left in the tank in the last lap of the 3200m group 1 epic.
''He was cruising, really.
''At the 600m he was just bolting. really. I was waiting for him to get tired. He looked super all the way to the last bend.''
Terror To Love joins False Step and Indianapolis as a three-time New Zealand Cup winner, but May now stands alone with his seven New Zealand Cup wins as a driver, one ahead of the legendary Cecil Devine.
The diminutive Methven man was planning to enjoy last night before he even contemplated an eighth victory.
''I'll take the seven, I think,'' he chuckled.
