Racing: Bring on the NZ Cup

Adore Me will now head to the Taylor Mile and Messenger at Alexandra Park. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Champion mare Adore Me has cleared all three hurdles that stood between her and a legitimate shot at New Zealand Cup glory.

The 4-year-old gained revenge over her Auckland Cup conqueror Terror To Love when she led for the last 2400m to easily hold him out in the $100,000 Easter Cup at Addington on Saturday.

It was a race won on the handicaps and then confirmed as the standing start tapes pinged, with Adore Me stepping safely and maintaining the 10m advantage she had over Terror To Love. That was enough to see her roll forward in the middle stages and take the lead, which was effectively race over.

Terror To Love surged at her at the 400m mark but with a 26.5 second last sectional he was on a hiding to nothing and ended his season with a brave second.

Adore Me will now head to the Taylor Mile and Messenger at Alexandra Park, before finishing her term at the Jewels on May 31.

Victory in all three will take her close to the $1 million mark in stakes, with her 22 career starts so far having brought 18 wins and three seconds.

Her win on Saturday leaves her with one obvious, shining target, the New Zealand Cup on November 11.

There are queries over any mare chasing the Cup, with only Mainland Banner (2005) and Kym's Girl (2001) having won it in the past 22 years.

Adore Me erased one of her doubts by stepping quickly on Saturday, suggesting her standing-start woes of last spring are no longer a concern.

She has also proved she can beat three-time Cup winner Terror To Love, albeit with a 10m start and the tactical advantages that came with it.

Perhaps, most importantly, she paced a national mares' record 3:59.9 for the 3200m and could clearly have gone faster. One of the biggest problems mares have had in trying to win New Zealand Cups is their inability to break 4:0 for the 3200m.

However, Adore Me showed she can pace that quick and still round it off with a 27-second type last 400m.

Bring on November.