By Adam Hamilton
Awesome young trotting filly Keayang Zahara overcame a tricky draw to stretch her unbeaten record to 11 wins in Sunday’s $75,000 Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Derby (2690m).
It capped her preparation for a New Zealand trip where the first target will be the inaugural $500,000 The Velocity at Addington Raceway’s Show Day Twilight races on November 15.
Five of Keayang Zahara’s wins have been at Group 1 level and she only started racing in April.
The daughter of Volstead drew inside the back row, but driver Jason Lee quickly extricated her and made a move from midfield to take the lead with a lap to the run. She cruised to victory without being extended.
If things go to plan in The Velocity, Keayang Zahara is likely to stay in Christchurch for the NZ Trotting Oaks and Trotting Derby.
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Champion trotter Just Believe will head to New Zealand on Tuesday in peak form.
The rising nine-year-old cruised to victory and ran slick time winning Sunday’s $30,000 Maryborough Gold Trotters’ Cup.
His 2min0.6sec mile rate was just 1.7sec outside Cravache Dor’s track record and driver Greg Sugars never let the champ go.
Just Believe strolled home by 6.5m over Parisian Artiste with Mufasa Metro third. Classy mare Queen Elida galloped before the start and lost all hope.
Just Believe has won 19 of his 21 starts since returning home late last year from a Swedish campaign.
Four of those wins came in NZ, including the TAB Trot and Rowe Cup, earlier this year.
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The New Zealand flavour ran deep at Maryborough’s biggest day.
Former Kiwi father-and-son, Richard and Emmett Brosnan, combined to win the $75,000 Group 1 Redwood Classic with Vytis.
The two-year-old son of Volstead led early, took a trial and used the sprint lane with Emmett Brosnan aboard to beat favourite Gatesys Gem by 3.6m in a 2min1.6sec mile rate for the 2190m standing start.
It was only Vytis’ second win, but he has been one of Australia’s top juvenile trotters with five second placings, two of them in feature races.
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Former Kiwi gelding Mister Smartee looks the horse to give champion trainer Gary Hall Sr a staggering 14th win in Western Australia’s biggest race.
The four-year-old son of Always B Miki firmed to $2.30 favourite for the $450,000 Group 1 WA Pacing Cup when he cruised to another feature win at Gloucester Park last Friday night.
It was his 13th win from just 15 starts and revealed another terrific weapon.
Driver Gary Hall Jr timed his run at the mobile gate to perfection from gate two and was able to win a vital early burn for the lead from one of WA’s fastest beginners, Pinny Tiger.
Once in front, Hall Jr turned the race in a dawdle with a 63.3sec middle half before ripping home in 55.2 and 27sec flat.
It was a Hall Sr quinella with the Stewie McDonald-driven Jumpingjackmac finishing second after making an early move to sit outside the stablemate, while Mighty Ronaldo was third after trailing the leader.
Pinny Tiger’s effort to finish fourth after the early burn and galloping briefly was also terrific.
The X factor for the WA Cup with former Victorian poster pacer Captain Ravishing, who is in Perth and will open his campaign with a lead-up run at Gloucester Park next Friday night.
The WA Pacing Cup is on Friday week.
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Leap To Fame was Grant Dixon’s most important Menangle winner on Saturday night, but certainly not his biggest.
The champion Queensland horseman snared two Group 1 NSW Breeders Challenge final wins on the card, too.
First came outstanding juvenile Fate Awaits, who returned to his best form at the right time to brilliantly win the $150,000 2YO colts and geldings final in a slick 1min50sec mile.
It was the son of Always B Miki’s fifth win from nine starts and he’s banked $394,832.
After defeats in his heat and semi-final, some doubted Fate Awaits, but he made the most of gate one to sit behind the leader and stablemate Path To Greatness before getting clear and pacing a 55.2sec last half to win by 5.1m over Sanchez.
Just 30 minutes later, Dixon trained and drove Sweet Lou gelding Air Express to cause a minor upset in the 3YO colts and geldings final.
Dixon used gate one to lead, while favourite War Dan Buddy sat one-one, but Air Express dictated terms and zipped home in 26.9sec to win by 2.3m over the favourite in a steady 1min51.7sec mile.
Leap To Fame won the NSW Breeders 3YO final in 2022.
The other star of Menangle was classy pacer Captains Knock, who smashed the clock winning the $50,000 Group 3 NSW Breeders Challenge 4YO final.
Trained and driven by Brad Hewitt, Captains Knock posted a scorching 1min48.4sec mile and 53.9sec last half to win by 16.2m.
On the same card, the much travelled and classy trotter Aldebaran Zeus cruised to victory in a 1min54.4sec mile.
And star mare Eye Keep Smiling won a stirring duel with Ludacrous to win the 4YO Mares’ Breeders Challenge final by a nose in a 1min51.4sec mile.
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What an old marvel former classy Kiwi pacer Triple Eight is.
The rising 10-year-old posted his 27th win from 147 starts when scored an upset victory in the Argent free-for-all at Melton.
The race was supposed to be a “warm-up” win for stablemate, Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse, but he tired after doing the work outside the leader to finish fifth in a slick 1min53.2sec mile rate for 2240m.
The other Melton feature saw talented two-year-old Hesitate return to form with a sparkling win in the Tatlow Stakes for colts and geldings,
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Victorians dominated the feature races at South Australia’s biggest meeting on Saturday night.
The Sam Barker-trained Ultimate Vinnie beat fellow Victorian Hector in a hotly-contested $60,000 SA Pacing Cup final.
Ultimate Vinnie’s driver Allan McDonough also won the $30,000 SA Derby aboard the Emma Stewart-trained Meteor Moth.
While Michael Bellman trained-and-drove Jazspur to an easy win in the $40,000 SA Trotters’ Cup.
