History awaits superstar trotting mare Queen Elida deep in the twilight of her stellar career.

The Brent Lilley-trained seven-year-old is on the verge of becoming just the second trotting mare in Australasian history to top $1 million in prize money.

And she still has the time and opportunities to overtake former Kiwi glamour trotter One Over Kenny ($1,060,394) as the richest trotting mare of all time.

It would keep the record in the family, so to speak, with Queen Elida’s granddam, Nice One Kenny, being a sister to One Over Kenny.

Queen Elida’s 82 starts have netted 37 wins, 31 placings and earnings of $982,295.

She can take that to $995,020 with victory in the second race at Melton on Saturday night where she is a $2.40 favourite.

A week later Queen Elida will tackle the $60,000 Group 1 Sumthingaboutmaori Mares’ Free-For-All at Melton.

“Hopefully, all going well, that will be the race to take her over the $1 million,” Lilley said.

With retirement to the breeding barn looming in May, the Sumthingaboutmaori will be Queen Elida’s final Australian race start.

But an even bigger opportunity looms when she returns to New Zealand where she was bred and started her career.

The major target is the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4, a race Queen Elida ran third in behind Just Believe and Callmethebreeze last year.

Her final race will be the $NZ200,000 Group 1 Rowe Cup at Auckland’s Alexandra Park on May 2.

“She might finish-up the richest (trotting) mare of all-time and it would be fitting. She’s been a star since her juvenile days and taking on the boys in so many of the biggest races,” Lilley said.

“It’ll be a sentimental trip back to NZ with her, knowing we’ll be farewelling her from the stable after so long.”

More immediately, Lilley is brimming with confidence going into Saturday night.

“She hasn’t been the easiest mare to train at times with her feet and, more recently, some steering problems, but we had some vet work done after the (Sydney) Inter Dominion late last year and the signs are great,” he said.

“Chris (Alford, driver) said she felt like the mare of old when she won the other night and she seems great at home.

“This looks a really nice race for her despite the back row and then she gets to take on the girls only the week after.

“The signs are she’ll be going out on top of her game and we’re thrilled about that.

“She ran third in the TAB Trot last year and she’s guaranteed a good draw again, being a mare against the boys, so she’ll be very competitive.

“Then it’s on to the Rowe Cup and some time in the paddock to let down before she becomes a mum.”

Queen Elida already boasts seven Group 1 wins, along with thirds in the 2022 and 2023 Inter Dominion finals, along with last year’s third in the TAB Trot.