Veteran trainer gets 350th win

92 year old Methven trainer Terry May chalked up his 350^th win when Slyx (Terror To Love) won the Anne Thompson Pacers Graduation Final at Rangiora yesterday.

The win was a real family affair with his son Ricky reining the three year old and Ricky’s wife Judy breeding and owning the gelding.

In the fourteen horse field May settled three back on the inside before Slyx got shuffled back to five back on the inside.

When both Celestial Sea and Justa Ripper rolled off the inside with 700 metres to run, Slyx found himself on the leader Lochdarragh’s back. May got the inside run and Slyx was too tough, beating a brave Lochdarragh by a length with Celestial Sea one and quarter lengths back in third. There was a further five lengths back to the fourth horse.

SLYX REPLAY

“I thought from the draw it was going to be pretty tough. He has been racing well but the way the race turned out it certainly was a big help,” Ricky said.

Slyx only qualified at Rangiora last month and yesterday was just his third start.

“We’ve just taken our time with him. He had a pretty good upbringing. I think it’s been a time thing with him. He also needed other horses to work with to get him used to the grit hitting him on the head. He was a bit funny with that for a while so that’s why Benny (Hill) has had him for the last few weeks. He was only going to stay there for a couple of weeks but he might have to stay there now (laughter). There are people wanting to buy him so we’ll have to make up our minds.”

Slyx is by Terror To Love which Ricky drove in sixteen of his thirty one wins including two New Zealand Cups.

“The Terror To Loves can be a bit fiery but he’s been pretty good all the way through and has always been a good pacer. He’s a good looking horse. I took him into Methven and worked him with horses trained by Kerry O’Reilly and Danny McKendry and they keep saying that if he doesn’t make it there’ll be something wrong.”

Terry has been training for 55 years, initially in partnership with his father Clarrie before going out on his own in 1969.

“They worked together all their lives,” said Ricky.

The Mays trained lots of good horses including Palestine and Good Admiral who both won 18 races. Other good winners were Deeside, Adios Adieu, Stroll Away and Springalot. Palestine won two Hannon Memorials, a New Zealand FFA and a Kaikoura Cup while Good Admiral’s wins included the New Zealand Trotting Derby.

“They had a lot of good horses before I started. I was still going to school.”

Terry and Ricky have had their share of success before too and in 1990 father and son won two Group One races – The New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes with Frangelico and the Nevele R Fillies Series Final with Some Legacy.

“She (Some Legacy) started in the Oaks the week before and she didn’t steer that well so we changed some gear and I said to Dad that I thought she’d still have a chance, and she ended up winning it.”

Some Legacy was 10/10 in the betting and paid $40.05 and $7.55.

“We trained about 18 then but it’s slowly gone down. The farm took over in the end.”

The Mays still train on the original home property which is a 200 acre farm. “It’s all crop and I also do the crop at the racecourse as well.”

Slyx was bred and is owned by Ricky’s wife Judy and is out of Mach Three mare Fraud, which was bred by southerners Murray Swain and Wayne Pope.

The breed goes back to Brahmaputra which Colin Baynes had lots of success with.

Ricky reckons his Dad is the oldest trainer in New Zealand.

It was great to see the May colours back in the winner’s circle yesterday.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink