Two of Victoria’s top young trotters will try to do a “Keayang Zahara” and beat the Kiwis in the rich $NZ500,000 Ascent at Addington in November.
Keayang Zahara famously thrashed her rivals in the inaugural Ascent last year.
Gatesys Gem and Tracy The Jet, who ran the quinella in the Group 1 NSW Trotters’ Oaks on May 10, will both make the trip this year.
It was confirmed today that Gatesys Gem would race in a slot bought by Victorian trotting giants, Duncan McPherson of Aldebaran Park and Yabby Dams’ Pat Driscoll.
Tracy The Jet’s passionate owner Dom Martello bought a slot for himself for his young star.
Tracy The Jet’s trainer Jess Tubbs said she was excited about an unexpectedly early return to New Zealand.
Last November, Tubbs and her late husband, Greg Sugars, had one of their biggest thrills in the game when former champion trotter Just Believe won the Group 1 Dominion at Addington.
They campaigned former Auckland Cup winner Better Eclipse and then three-year-old Hes From Heaven in NZ at the same time.
Hes From Heaven finished fifth in the inaugural $500,000 Velocity slot race at Addington on November 15.
“I didn’t think I’d be going back so soon, but along comes Tracy The Jet and changed all that,” Tubbs said.
Tracy The Jet is a three-year-old trotting filly with 10 starts netting five wins and a second.
But it’s her transformation this season – five wins and a second from six starts – which has turned heads.
The daughter of Love You won her first two starts of 2025 before a terrific second to Gatesys Gem in the NSW Trotters’ Oaks.
She’s since won all three starts back at Melton, including feature victories in The Holmfield (August 16) and last Saturday’s $125,000 Nutrien Sales final.
She’s gone to a new level and packs lethal early gate speed.
“Dom (Martello) was keen to tackle NZ and bought a slot in the Ascent for her to run in, so that’s the target,” Tubbs said.
“Races like this don’t come along too often, so we’ve got to have a shot at it.”
It means sacrificing a tilt at Tracy The Jet’s another obvious big Aussie target, the Vicbred series at Melton.
“The Vicbred heat is on the same day as The Ascent, so it’s out,” Tubbs said. “The Vicbred final is only worth $60,000, so it’s worth changing course.”
Gatesys Gem, who upstaged the boys in the Group 1 NSW Trotters’ Derby after winning the Oaks, is also set to tackle The Ascent. She boasts eight wins and three seconds from just 12 starts.
The daughter of Aldebaran Eagle looked sharp winning a Geelong trial last Monday night, beating other high-class three-year-olds Watts Up The Hill and Commodus.
