It’s 10 days to the IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington Raceway on Tuesday, November 12 so why not look back at the winner of the great race 10 years ago.
In 2014 it was Adore Me
By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
What a New Zealand Cup it was in 2014.
The build-up was dominated by Terror To Love’s quest to become the ever to win four consecutive New Zealand Cups.
The aftermath was dominated by glamour mare Adore Me and her world record-breaking in 3:54.6.
At the time it was deemed “the greatest performance ever from a pacing mare in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Adore Me stepped well from her second line draw and settled midfield on the outer.
But the champ was leaving nothing to chance. Terror To Love went to the front a lap out. The crowd wanted to be a part of history.
Down the back straight Mark Purdon pulled Adore Me out four wide and they just kept coming. When she have got to the end of her run she just keep finding to triumph by half a head in front of a fast finishing Franco Nelson. Terror To Love wilted to fourth.
Her winning time was 1.8 seconds inside Changeover’s record set in 2018. In fact the first 10 runners home were all inside his old mark.
It remains the second fastest Cup win ever, only to beaten by the great Lazarus’ 3:53.1 in 2016.
It was her 21st win in 27 starts, and Mark Purdon’s first winning drive in the Cup for 18 years. His previous win was his second Cup success with Il Vicolo in 1996. Despite her undoubted ability and a win in the Ashburton Flying Stakes in the build up to the Cup she still ended up paying $7.20 for the win.
It was the first Cup triumph by a mare since Mainland Banner in 2005. Other mares like Armalight, Bonnies Chance, and Blossom Lady had also won the great race – but not like this.
Adore Me’s win was one of seven the Mark Purdon – Nathan Rasmussen stables had on racing’s biggest day – a phenomenal achievement.
Known as the world’s fastest mare, Adore Me retired to the broodmare paddock the winner of 26 races from 36 starts and earnings of $1.67m. Aong her progeny have been Darling Me (13 wins) and All You Need Is Me.
Her last race was close to a fairytale. She was a nose second to Christen Me in the 2015 Auckland Cup.
