By Michael Guerin
A battling trotter has started a path to the Group 1 winners circle for young trainer Zev Meredith.
Meredith joined that special club when One More Moment got up in the last stride to win the first running of the $100,00 TAB Queen Of Diamonds Trot for fillies and mares.
It caps a remarkable set of Group 1 trotting wins for driver Greg Sugars, who has dominated our biggest trots for all of 2024 but probably didn’t think One More Moment would be adding to his G1 tally while Just Believe was back home in Victoria.
But this story is all about Meredith and those around him as well as the six-year-old mare who snuck up the passing lane to down Con Grazia Love and Faith In Manchester.
Meredith says it was a long path.
“Neita [partner] organised to lease Boss Jo from Kenny and Jo Baynes from down at Gore, with her parents having known them for ages.
“And while she [Boss Jo] hasn’t win a race yet we keep in touch with Kenny and Jo and I kept asking if I could get another horse to train for them.
“So about eight months ago they sent us One More Moment and while she has had some issues since, including almost breaking down, tonight makes it all worthwhile.
“To win a Group 1 is something special, especially as my age, so I am thrilled and so thankful to Kenny and Jo.”
Meredith is only training seven horses, four racehorses and three breakers, from the property of Neita’s father Derek Balle so trotting success at the highest level is nothing new to the barn.
Also nothing new is Duchess Megxit doing wonderful things at Alexandra Park and that was the case again in Friday night’s other Group 1, the Woodlands Queen Of Hearts.
The flying filly was back near last for much of a race turned on its head when the other favourite Princess Meritaten exploded off the gate to lead form barrier 8 and when she got a middle 800m in 64 seconds the race was hers to lose.
But Duchess Megxit looked happy to be back home as she roared up to the leaders down the back straight and then dug deep to wear down Princess Meritaten in a monster win that saw her break 55 seconds three wide for the entire last 800m.
Duchess Megxit is now likely to head to the Golden Gait 3-year-old Pace next Friday where she will draw inside the boys so should be favourite. The TAB had her $2.30 equal favourite with stablemate Better Knuckle Up last night.
The $60,000 Franklin Cup saw the other big upset of the night when Miki Shan scored his first win since taking out the Summer Cup at this exact meeting a year ago.
He has been in a tough school since and it is easy to forget he is only a four-year-old who with his manners and improvement to come has earned his place in open class for trainer-driver Maurice McKendry and owner Gerald Shan.
Miki Shan used the passing lane to wear down The Big Lebowski, who started a surprise favourite over Better Eclipse, who raced forward between the 800m and 400m but peaked soon after in a race not run to suit.
