The stunning Keayang Zahara should continue her charge towards becoming the richest Australasian trotting mare of all-time in Saturday night’s $100,000 Group 1 Maori Mile at Bendigo.
Despite just turning five, Keayang Zahara will take her earnings to $925,035, if she posts her 21st win from just 22 starts at Bendigo.
That would make her the third richest trotting mare, behind only the recently retired Queen Elida ($1,103,470) and former star Kiwi, One Over Kenny ($1,060,394).
Keayang Zahara still has a string of feature races, headed by the $250,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star, over the next six weeks.
She is $1.15 favourite for the Maori Mile, which would be her 11th Group win.
“She just had a couple of quiet days after Brisbane, but this has always been the target and she’s ready to go,” trainer Paddy Lee said.
Victory at Bendigo would also be a first key step towards Keayang Zahara winning a new $500,000 bonus on offer across the six weeks of the Summer of Glory.
She is the only logical contender for the bonus, which requires a trotter to win at least four of the six races in the series, but it must include the $250,000 Great Southern Star at Melton on February 14.
Key rival trainers Chris Svanosio and Andy Gath concede beating Keayang Zahara will be an almighty challenge.
“I think we’re running for a minor placing,” Gath said of his much-improved Imperial Command, who won eight races last season.
“We’re quick out and we’ve got to hope we can cross them at the start and then we could run second or third.
“A lot will depend on Ollivici. He’s quick out, too, but he didn’t trot at all well last start, so they might be a bit cautious on him early.”
It’s an even bigger call from Svanosio, who trains and drives reigning Inter Dominion champion Arcee Phoenix. He’s going for a third successive Maori Mile win.
“It’s by far the hardest Maori Mile he’s been in yet,” he said. “And it’s even harder now he’s drawn out wide (gate five) with a champion like Keayang Zahara inside him.
“I’m really happy with the horse, he seems right back to his best after that disappointing run in NZ, but we’ve still got a big challenge ahead.”
Arcee Phoenix impressed with a slick trial win at Bendigo on Monday night where he dashed home his last half in 56.8sec.
The other major contender is the remarkable Im Bobby, who won 12 races last season and has young gun driver James Herbertson aboard as the lone back row runner (gate eight).
Given how fast the Bendigo circuit is, Keayang Zahara, who is racing at the track for the first time, will likely break the 1min53.8sec track record set by Arcee Phoenix in the 2024 Maori Mile.
The ultimate target would be the Australasian record 1min51.5sec mile set by Maori Time, but that was at the spacious 1400m Menangle track on February 24, 2018.
Zahara winning Great Square – Dan Costello
Zahara prezzo at Melton – Stuart McCormick
