Co-trainer Paddy Lee admits to mixed emotions about bypassing Friday night’s hometown Terang Trotters’ Cup with champion mare Keayang Zahara.
Instead her star stablemate Jilliby Ballerini will headline the field as a lone 30m backmarker in the Cup.
“We’d love to have run Zahara for a few reasons, not the least being it’s our home track, we’d love to support them and everyone knows her down here,” he said. “There’s also not many chances to race her at Terang.
“Then there’s the standing-start factor. We’re looking at a big standing-start race in NZ (the Group 1 Dominion) later this year and she’ll need practice.
“But, in the end, we just didn’t think it was the right move with the trip to Cambridge so close.”
Keayang Zahara is qualified to race from a standing-start, but has never contested a stand-start race.
“They’ve just added Terang trials next Tuesday night, so we’ll take her there instead of a race this week,” Lee said.
“It’s different with ‘Ballerini’. She’s had a few standing-stary races now.”
Jilliby Ballerini won two of her three standing races and finished a luckless fourth in the other, the Group 1 Dominion, in Christchurch last November.
She has run second to Keayang Zahara in three of her past four starts and will accompany her to Cambridge for the $NZ530,000 TAB Trot on April 10.
“We bought two slots in the race to take all the stress of negotiating out of it and because we’re lucky enough to have two of the best trotters going around,” Lee said.
Lee said he was still finalising travel plans.
“At this stage they are booked on an April 4 flight, but we want to get there as close to the race as possible. There’s talk of a flight on April 6 or 7, if that eventuates, we’ll grab that one instead,” he said.
Keayang Zahara, who has been to NZ once before 18 months ago for three wins from as many starts, will have just the one start this trip.
“Yes, it will almost certainly be a hit-and-run for her, but there is a chance Ballerini could stay for another Group 1 race after Cambridge. We’ll see how she comes through that first run,” Lee said.
Keayang Zahara boasts 27 wins from 28 starts, including an Australasian record equalling 15 at Group 1 level.
She will spearhead a three-horse Aussie raid on the TAB Trot, a race Australia has dominated in its short history. Just Believe won the inaugural 2024 race and Arcee Phoenix led throughout last year.
Jilliby Ballerini and Queensland star Gus are the other Aussie runners.
On the same night, Leap To Fame, Swayzee, Kingman, The Janitor and Captains Knock will fly the Aussie flag in Cambridge’s pacing feature, the $NZ1 million The Race.
Leap To Fame will defend the crown he won with a career-best performance last year.
PHOTOS: Club Menangle/Pacepix
