It is easy to forget how spoiled we have been this year.
We saw two all-time greats of their gait – Leap To Fame and Just Believe – deliver us the “Larry” and “Harry” show and provide so many memorable moments.
In my time, it was way back in 1985 when Preux Chevalier (pacer) and Scotch Notch (trotter) strutted their stuff in tandem since we have seen such greatness in both gaits at the one time.
Others will go back to Maori’s Idol and the best pacers during his career, but that’s just before my time.
Then, in the most spectacular of arrivals, along came Keayang Zahara. There has NEVER been a three-year-old trotting filly like her in this part of the world.
And we got all this in one year.
As I’ve said before, harness racing has many challenges, but it certainly isn’t with the quality of horses or a lack of star power. We’ve got it in droves.
Here’s some of my reflections on the horse front from 2024…
WHO DO WE VOTE FOR?
It’s hard to imagine there has ever been a season with this crop of genuine Horse of the Year contenders at the one time.
But Leap To Fame, Just Believe and Keayang Zahara would each win the title in 90-95 per cent of seasons.
Almost cruelly, two will miss out when the verdict comes down in the next couple of months.
Their credentials and greatness have been well documented.
Not one to sit on the fence, but still feeling truly torn, I will be voting for Just Believe. His ability to go to another level after Sweden, combined with his awesome achievements in NZ (which carry extra weight to me) are the difference.
In comparing him with Keayang Zahara, Just Believe’s dominance was at Group 1 grade in open age, which is the ultimate.
All of that said, I won’t be surprised or disappointed if the majority of those voting see it differently and one of the others gets the nod.
WHAT A FIND
It took a respected horseman to tug my coat about Keayang Zahara ahead of the Vicbred series for me to understand we could be seeing something very special, maybe like we’d never seen before.
He was right and I’m glad I listened.
Unbeaten in 14 starts, including seven at Group 1 level (and that doesn’t include the $NZ500,000 Ascent), Keayang Zahara has done so much since winning her first run on April 3 at Maryborough.
She is everything the sport needs, and bundled into the package is being a homebred who is trained, driven and owned by the dairy farming Lee/Craven clan from Ecklin South, near Terang.
At a time when we are blessed with a lot of stars, Keayang Zahara is the single most exciting and important, given the broad international aspect of trotting compared to pacing.
WHAT A WIN
Mesmerizing dominance is the only way to describe Leap To Fame’s Blacks A Fake win in July. For all his great deeds, including a record-breaking Miracle Mile victory from that wide draw a few months earlier, the Blacks A Fake performance was the best of the year and “Larry’s” best yet.
Another “wow” moment came when Aardies Express gave away a massive lead to champion mare Ladies In Red (who led) in the Group 1 Ladyship Mile in May, but still came wide and mowed her down in mind-blowing style.
Keayang Zahara’s Ascent win at Addington on November 15 is up there, too. The boom was huge, the pressure enormous and the performance one which left even the Kiwis in a state of disbelief at what they’d just seen.
THE BEST RAID
Catch A Wave set the standard when he went to Perth and upstaged the locals with two stunning wins in the huge Nullarbor/Fremantle double in April.
Perth has been an ugly hunting ground for eastern state horses for many years, but Catch A Wave turned that around and, importantly for the WA industry, almost certainly ensured many more NSW and Victorian horses will chase their biggest races going ahead.
Keayang Zahara also gets a mention here. A perfect three wins from as many starts in the Ascent, NZ Oaks and NZ Derby finished what had already been a monstrous campaign. The stuff of champions.
And, of course, Just Believe. Two NZ raids this year for a combined five wins (three Group 1s plus the TAB Trot), all as a rising nine-year-old. What a marvel.
BEGGING FOR MORE
What a shame we didn’t get to see more of Very Pretty as a three-year-old filly. She’s something else.
The daughter of American Ideal only raced five times for four wins (to make it nine wins from 10 in her career).
It’s a big call, but she’s got “Ladies In Red” potential if she returns from all injury niggles and goes on with the job.
DID THAT HAPPEN?
Leap To Fame raced 16 times this year for 15 wins and a second.
How did he get beaten that night at Redcliffe on June 1 in the Patrons Purse?
Yes, District Attorney is lethal with a cold sit like he got that night, but he didn’t win in 10 subsequent starts, while Leap To Fame won all seven starts after it, including the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint/Blacks A Fake double.
As they say, there’s no such thing as a "certainty" in racing.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.