Storming finish from Mr Love wins Cup

Mr Love (Love You) produced the performance of the day at the Motukarara harness racing meeting today (Sep. 22).

Driver Ben Hope got the five year old away well, settling three back on the inside before Eurostyle came around and pushed him back one spot. When the favourite Kyvalley Hotspur came around and took the lead, Mr Love was all of a sudden five back in the inside and in trouble.

As the field straightened for the run home Hope could be seen looking for a clean run just behind the leading bunch. He had to guide his charge across the heals of other runners to get to the centre of the track. Once in space, Hope pulled the horse’s headgear and Mr Love stormed home to nab Eurostyle by a head with Kyvalley Hotspur a length and a quarter back in third.

“I said to Ben as long as he handles the grass, he can outsprint most of them. He’s got high speed and it was just a matter of cuddling him up and having one run at them,” said Greg Hope who co-trains the gelding with his wife Nina.

MR LOVE REPLAY

At the finish Ben told Trackside viewers he wasn’t sure whether he’d won.

“He felt super and to come from where he did was a superb effort by the horse. I knew we’d made it interesting but wasn’t sure who’d won it.”

Mr Love was the seventh win favourite in today’s trotting feature after two below par performances.

“We’ve had a lot of trouble with him tying up and when he’s right he’s really right. Nina works night and day on him to try and get his muscles right and we were lucky enough today to do it,” said Greg.

Today’s win was the gelding’s ninth in just twenty starts.

“He’s a quality horse but his last two starts probably put people off.  But he just wasn’t right. It was a great effort by my parents to get him right. I do think the grass agreed with him too. The whole breed likes the grass and that played it’s part. It’s a pity the Dominion isn’t on the grass,” Ben said.

The training partnership also took out the junior drivers race with another trotter, Ta Rapa (Andover Hall). Mr Love’s full sister Crazy N Love finished third in the same race.

“We’ll press on and try and get him (Mr Love) in the Dominion. That win will help him move up a few places (in the rankings),” Greg said.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink