Bits and Bridles

Should Keayang Zahara (Volstead) win Friday’s Group One $200,000 New Zealand Trotting Derby, she’ll be the fifth filly to achieve the double, joining Escapee (2012), Habibti (2013) Luby Lou (2018) and Sunnys Sister (2023).

A win in the Derby would also elevate her to where no other three year old trotter has gone before She will have won the New Zealand, NSW and Victoria Trotting Oaks and Derby doubles. New Zealand trotting filly Habibti got close. As well as her New Zealand double in 2013 she also won the NSW Trotting Oaks and Derby and the Victora Oaks but she never raced in the Victoria Trotting Derby.

Former New Zealand pacer Galactic Star (Bettor’s Delight) has been a grand earner for his connections.
Bred by the Cummings family of Tuapeka Lodge, Galactic Star was initially trained in Southland by Des Baynes.

His last race in the province was a winning one at Gore in April 2016.

From 159 starts he’s won 37 races, recorded 22 seconds and 23 thirds for $853,540 with 21 of his wins being at Gloucester Park.

He’s raced on both seaboards of Australia in many Listed and Group races, including Interdominions Series.
If those old legs keep going he may very well become another SBSR millionaire.

The Worthy Queen is a feature race at Addington on Friday night.

Worthy Queen was a trotting mare who raced in the early 1930s and although you won’t find her name on the Rowe Cup or Dominion Handicap honours board she did create her own piece of history.

When she time trialled over a mile at Addington in April 1934 her time of 2:3 3-5 was a record that would stand for an incredible 28 years, before Dianthus Girl lowered it by one fifth of a second in 1962.

What made Worthy Queen’s time even more remarkable was that she only had a galloping pacemaker beside her for the whole journey.

“She kept trying to beat the galloper, trying to go faster than she could. She was hitched to a short sulky and around the Showgrounds bend her hock was hitting my leg,” driver Jack Shaw said.

In complete contrast, Dianthus Girl had the luxury of having two other trotters to help her run her record.

Worthy Queen also received notoriety when in December 1931 she began a six win winning streak.

Three of those wins were in Auckland in the space of just three days and the other two were on the same day at Hutt Park.

That’s how they did it back in the day!!

Graham Cooney, senior statesman of the Centaurus Syndicate is having the time of his life.

Cooney has bred and raced horses since the mid 1980s and as a breeder has dreamt of winning the New Zealand Oaks.

He finally did last Friday night when Duchess Megxit (Sweet Lou) won for the syndicate that part owns the filly with Patterson Bros Racing, Par Then Bar Racing and the Elton’s John Syndicates.

Cooney spent most of his life in Southland but now lives in Tauranga. He’s owned 177 winners, the first being Flying Belle which was trained to win by Graham Bond at Ascot Park in April 1985.

His best mare Nursemaid finished eleventh in the New Zealand Oaks twenty years ago.

Before Duchess Megxit came along the Centaurus Syndicate had success with Canardly Lover (10), Tiziano (8), Minstrel Boy (3) and Maidonthebeach (9).

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink