Keayang Zahara’s deeds both here in Australia and across the Tasman in New Zealand are certainly not going unnoticed by officials at one of the world’s most prestigious harness racing venues.
Anders Malmrot, the sports director at Solvalla in Sweden, is keeping a close eye on the unbeaten three-year-old squaregaiter, who took her record to 12 wins from 12 starts with a dominant display in last week’s The Ascent slot race at Addington.
Malmrot and Swedish racing fans fell in love with champion Victorian trotter Just Believe during his European adventures in 2023, which included gallant placings in features at Ostersund and Boden following a devastating gait break turning for home in his heat of Elitloppet.
“It is always with great interest I follow your biggest events and beside the wonderful story with Just Believe, it´s fantastic to take part of your new star Keayang Zahara,” Malmrot said.
“These kind of horses and stories is what make our sport public for a bigger audience and so important for all of us being a part of it.
“From my point of view, a start like the last one when she went to New Zealand and was as good as ever is important when we know what the horse is up for if a trip to Sweden could become reality.”
While connections of Just Believe decided not to pursue a trip back to Sweden this year, Keayang Zahara shapes as potentially the fourth Australian-trained trotter to compete in the world-famous Elitloppet.
“I keep my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned for the next year and she can be a horse for me to invite to Elitloppet,” Malmrot said.
“If it is already next year we don’t know, but for 2026 absolutely if she keeps developing as a horse and continues this amazing start of her career.”
The horse’s regular driver Jason Lee said this week that any offers and invitations would be considered, but felt a trip to Sweden would be more realistic in 2026 as opposed to next year.
“We’d look at anything on the table, but as good as it would be – it’d be unreal – I’d love to dominate our own country,” Lee said. “And not even dominate, I’d just love to win a Great Southern Star or an Inter Dominion…
“We’ve had eight or nine really nice trotters who have won really good races and competed in the good races, but we haven’t won a Grand Circuit trot race or anything.
“Just Believe was pretty airborne before he went (to Sweden), dominating at open-class level. You’d want to be going pretty well and probably race at least another 12 months here.”
Keayang Zahara is set to tackle the New Zealand Trotting Oaks on November 29 and could stay abroad for the NZ Trotting Derby a week later before returning home to trainer Margaret Lee’s Ecklin South stables.
