Perhaps the biggest form of flattery is praise from your opposition, and top driver Nathan Jack isn’t letting pride get in the way of pumping up the sport’s emerging megastar Keayang Zahara.
Jack has witnessed firsthand the brilliance of the unbeaten three-year-old filly, most notably when she overcame a tough run in transit and whizzed past his horse Violet Standford to win the Group 1 Vicbred Super Series Final on September 14.
It was a truly incredible performance that left legendary caller Dan Mielicki declaring her the “best three-year-old filly trotter I think I’ve seen”.
Jack is similarly in awe of the Margaret Lee-prepared squaregaiter, who holds a blemish-free career record of nine wins from nine starts and will soon head to New Zealand to tackle the new $500,000 slot race, The Ascent, in mid-November.
“I’ve been lucky enough to drive a few Derby winners and a few really good juveniles, but she’s the best I’ve ever seen I think,” Jack told Burning Questions.
“That’s compared to horses like Cravache Dor and Dance Craze – we’re talking good horses – but I think if she raced the free-for-allers tomorrow, she would probably beat them in my opinion. That’s how good I think she is.”
While Keayang Zahara has twice humbled Jack’s star Violet Stanford, the master Shepparton horseman is preparing for another shot at beating her in the Group 1 Victoria Trotters Derby at Maryborough on October 27.
Jack will look to qualify unbeaten gelding Derek The Jet in this Sunday’s second heat, while Keayang Zahara takes her place in the series’ first qualifier. If they prevail as expected, the Group 1 showdown will see both rivals battle it out with career records of 10 wins from 10 starts.
“I do think Derek’s a much better horse than Violet Stanford, but at the same time how easy she beat me was pretty scary. And for me to be a chance of beating her, I would have to draw one and she would have to draw 44 or something like that,” Jack said.
“I just don’t think it’s possible to beat her. I’m not going to give up, I’m going to keep trying to beat her, but I’ve got to be a realist. It’s going to be hard.”
The Victoria Trotters Derby heats are the highlight of Sunday’s meeting at Maryborough, with the first race set to go at 1.22pm.
