Racing: Court hopes star can rise to occasion

Paul (left) and Graeme Court will harness up Terror To Love for the final time. Photo / NZME.

Paul Court believes the fairytale farewell can come true in Terror To Love's last race at Addington on Saturday night.

He bases that, as much as he can, on facts rather than emotion as the curtain comes down on the great pacer's career in the $111,111 Easter Cup.

Terror To Love faces a 20m handicap, his arch-rival Christen Me and the fact that he hasn't won a race since December in his final start before being retired to stud.

He has been winless almost all summer, sometimes racing well below his best, and his only two placings in his last six start were in the farcical four-horse Ballarat Cup and a weak Inter Dominion heat.

So the glory days of last season's amazing New Zealand and Auckland Cup victories seem an awfully long time ago but co-trainer Court hasn't lost faith.

"He isn't going as well as he has at his absolute peak but then he may not need to," Court says.

"I know he only finished fourth last week but that was his first start in nearly a month and he really needed it.

"So to set up a fast time and only fade late was a passable run and I know how much he has improved since.

"This is 3200m on his home track so the perfect way for him to go out. Sure, I'd love to see him win but I honestly think he has a good each-way chance."

As talented as the likes of Ohoka Punter, Tiger Tara and Border Control are on the front line and even a seemingly rejuvenated Smolda off his 10m handicap, the biggest danger to Terror To Love has to be Christen Me.

He only fell in to win last Friday over 1950m but that was after sitting parked and trainer Cran Dalgety warned that his superstar had put on weight since his record Auckland Cup win three weeks earlier.

Christen Me's overall season has been sensational, with wins in the Miracle Mile, Victoria Cup and NZ Free-For-All as well, and while he has sometimes been underwhelming as a stayer, two runs stand out as the reasons he is the one they have to beat on Saturday.

He did sit parked to win the Hunter Cup last season and was a huge fifth after missing away in Adore Me's New Zealand Cup in November.

Add in the small field and he shouldn't be too far off his key rivals starting the last lap, so if he races up to his best he should probably ruin the fairytale and also secure the Horse of the Year title by winning.

Ohoka Punter has the standing-start manners and stamina to make the millionaires off the 20m work, especially if he can get to the marker pegs and control his own destiny.

While Addington's farewell to three-time NZ Cup winner Terror To Love will be the focus of the harness racing weekend, the countdown to the Harness Jewels continues at Cambridge tonight.

Many of the big names heading to the Jewels at Ashburton on May 30 have already won enough stakes to guarantee a start but for those on the cusp, money won in the next six weeks will be crucial.

Bettor Spirits is one who can win his way into the Jewels 12 at Cambridge tonight, where he looks a great each-way chance in race seven.

He comes out of the Derby at Alexandra Park and drops a long way in class with the bonus of having handled his only standing start well enough to boost confidence tonight.

On his home track, he should be able to secure at least the $600 needed to move into the 12 Jewels qualifiers at this stage, with the obvious threat Major Star if he returns to anything like his best.