Barrier eight makes it tougher for Zahara in Derby

A sticky back row draw will leave harness racing driver Jason Lee with some crucial decisions to make when he tackles Sunday’s Group 1 E L Titan @ Haras Des Trotteurs Victoria Trotters Derby Final with Keayang Zahara (Volstead).

The unbeaten three-year-old filly will start from barrier eight for Lee, who will be keen to get clear of the inside as soon as the gates fold back from the 2690m starting point.

“I won’t be in a rush to go (forward) – I’ll judge the tempo – but I’ve got to watch the nine (Mister Blindside) too because he can do a bit wrong,” Lee said.

“It’s a starting position and everyone has got to start from somewhere. It’s probably a little bit unfortunate that in the Vicbred Super Series Final and this race we’ve had to draw eight and be not probably following the ideal horse.

“It’s not absolutely the end of the world being over the long trip, but it’s just going to make things a little bit more difficult.”

Keayang Zahara has stamped herself as one of harness racing’s most exciting horses with some scintillating performances in her 10-start career, which includes Group 1 wins in the NSW Oaks and Derby, the Vicbred Super Series Final and Victoria Trotters Oaks.

She qualified for the Victoria Trotters Derby Final with a powerful front-running victory in the first heat on Sunday, with her mile rate of 1:59.3 just a shade outside the Maryborough track record.

It was a much quicker run than the one Andy Gath-trained Pinnie produced when winning heat two in 2:03.8.

Pinnie has come up with a nice front row draw of two, while Nathan Jack’s Violet Stanford looks likely to work to the front after coming up with barrier three.

The Victoria Trotters Derby is one of the state’s major time-honoured races, with the last filly to win it being Pink Galahs in 2020.

Following the Derby, Keayang Zahara will fly out to New Zealand to take her place in the new $500,000 slot race, The Ascent, on November 15 at Addington.

The Aldebaran Park Redwood Classic has reclaimed Group 1 status in 2024 and will be the other elite-level feature on Sunday’s all-trotting card.

The appearance of champion squaregaiter Just Believe is another highlight of the meeting, with Jess Tubbs’ charge to line-up in the Group 3 Community Bank Maryborough Gold Trotters Cup.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Tim O’Connor, for HRV