b4breeding

Terror To Love wins the New Zealand Cup

The last time I saw the New Zealand Cup in person was a few years ago when Monkey King got his second win in the great race, and the crowd cheered him heartily. The same this year, when Terror To Love (Western Terror – Love To Live – Live Or Die) won the cup for the third time. The crowd rose and cheered him along the straight – partly recognising a great individual horse achieving a sensational three-in-a-row, but also because of the nature of that win. It is an extremely hard race to win, but to win it after giving away lengths at the start was phenomenal and deserving of total respect. And that’s what he got.

My week in Christchurch was a lovely one – seeing top horses and up-and-coming horses racing, but also being up close and personal with some newly born foals and some beautiful mares.

It was full on breeding and foaling time for Brian West at his property at Coe’s Ford, and he is overalls-on and hands-on (and hands-in of course!) regarding all the aspects of the breeding and raising of Studholme Bloodstock’s horses.

Lancome and foal both having lunch

Among the foals I saw most notably was a Bettor’s Delight colt from Brian West’s great mare Lancome. What a wonderful mum she is. The photo I took opposite shows mum and foal on day 2.

I also saw two very nice Tintin In Americas  from that sire’s second crop, as well as the yearling filly by Tintin In America from Brian’s mare A Legend that I’ve bought a half share in. My next blog will include some photos and more details about these foals.

But right now, I want to go back to Terror To Love’s family.

His dam Love To Live has produced a large number of filly foals for owner Terry McDonald, which are being bred from. Out of interest I’ll quickly review these (and you can always delve into the detail on the HRNZ Horse Info database for free). It’s not an outstanding family – but you can see the interest (and investment) gathering a bit of momentum as Terror To Love has climbed the heights of his career.

Terror To Love has an 11yo Soky’s Atom half sister (unraced) which Terry McDonald started breeding from recently for a Badlands Hanover (by Western Hanover) foal in 2012 and went back to Vintage Master (by Western Ideal) the next season.

Then there’s a 7yo Courage Under fire half sister who had four race starts for a third, but did well enough with a fourth to take a time of 1.57.6 over a mile at Ashburton  in 2009. She’s had a 2011 Santanna Blue Chip filly foal who is therefore just a 2yo now, and then a Jereme’s Jet (by Western Hanover) colt foal, and went last season to Mach Three.

Terror To Love’s qualified but unraced 5yo Artsplace half sister has a 2012 grey colt foal by Charles Bronson (for those not familiar with him, he’s a son of Christian Cullen out of a Falcon Seelster mare who stands at Pinelea Stud). The Artsplace mare then went to Somebeachsomewhere the following year – presumably due to be born or has been born.

His unraced 4yo half sister by Christian Cullen was served by Well Said (by Western Hanover) in 2012.

A 3yo Mach Three half sister qualified as a 2yo in January this year but not sighted so far this season. Her name is Mach’s Love, so keep an eye out fo that one, she’s trained by the Courts.

Terror To Love’s youngest half sisters are a 2yo Somebeachsomewhere filly, and a yearling filly by Rocknroll Hanover (by Western Ideal), and Love To Live is having a foal by Well Said this year.

It’s interesting how some mares leave a huge numbers of one sex – Terry McDonald is blessed with fillies because Western Terror has made such a mark, but as a keen racing man he must be looking forward to a colt foal soon.

You can see quite a range of breeding choices, with a fondness for Christian Cullen/Direct Scooter line and the sons of Western Ideal/Western Hanover, from where Western Terror came of course.

Certainly he’s giving the family every chance to revive its fortunes. It’s like so many families where an outstanding horse will pop out like a nugget in the river, and it is a breeder’s challenge whether to keep panning the same stream for more – and for how long.

Terror To Love’s maternal bottom line traces back to Roydon Dream, the dam of Roydon Scott and the great Royden Glen, so there have been other large nuggets of gold but quite a way upstream.

Terror To Love doesn’t need his family as a basis for success. He’s an amazing horse in his own right and it will be his own qualities rather than his pedigree that will deliver any future fortunes on the track or in the breeding barn.

Just a quick note about Western Terror, the sire of Terror To Love. He stood here in New Zealand for only three seasons for 169 live foals, with 73 winners which is not a bad ratio. They are all 5, 6 or 7yos now. Some of the best (apart from Terror To Love) would be Baby Bling, (18 wins, $767,000) and (My) Dusky Sound (13 wins, $132,000) who both happen to be on the card at Menangle tonight. Ted West is doing a good job here, Johnny Fox looks promising, (Sir) Bobby Lashley has done a good job in Australia, as has (Im) Corzin Terror.  Western Terror’s dam Arterra is a sister to Artiscape, and their dam Deliquent Account was a brilliant mare who paced as a 2yo but went on to win USTA and Canadian Older Pacing Mare of the Year awards. My overall impression is that Western Terror foals here  weren’t early types at all or had a temperament unsuited for early racing (i.e. a bit “hot headed”). He was bred himself on the classic Western Hanover/Artsplace cross, but that cross is a bit of a numbers game, and it is not something that has had a lot of relevance in New Zealand with our breeding pool. Western Terror continues to do the job as a sire in North america, standing for a respectable $7,500 and from 442 starters, is the sire of 281 in 2:00, 158 in 1:55, 12 in 1:50, with 6 millionaires to his credit. Several of his best have been by Matts Scooter mares.

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