Unbeaten trotter scratched from Victoria Trotters Derby

A mouth-watering Victoria Trotters Derby showdown between unbeaten harness racing stars Keayang Zahara (Volstead) and Derek The Jet (Volstead) will not go ahead following news that the latter has been scratched from the series.

Derek The Jet’s trainer Nathan Jack told thetrots.com.au that “something is just not quite right” with his Group 1 winner.

“I am not prepared to take any risks,” Jack said.

“We can’t pin-point anything, he’s just not himself. He is booked in to go to the vets next week – early in the week – and (we’ll) do a few tests and go from there.

“I don’t know if he will have a long spell or a short spell. I don’t know if he will be ready for the Breeders Crown or not. We will find out more next week – probably by the end of the week we will know.”

Jack was looking to qualify Derek The Jet through this Sunday’s Victoria Trotters Derby second heat, while Keayang Zahara takes her place in the series’ first qualifier.

If they were to prevail as expected, the Group 1 showdown on October 27 would have seen both rivals battle it out with career records of 10 wins from 10 starts.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Tim O’Connor and Bronte Nieuwenburg