Keayang Zahara facing the unknown in Great Southern Star

Co-trainer Paddy Lee admits the unique format of the Great Southern Star is as big a danger as any rival for superstar trotting mare Keayang Zahara (Volstead) on Saturday night.

The five-year-old boasts 23 wins from 24 starts, including 12 at Group 1 level, but will have to do something she’s never done before – race twice on the same night to win and bank a new $500,000 bonus along with the $142,500 first prize.

That’s the X-factor of the Great Southern Star with qualifying heats at 6.30pm (race two) and 7.01pm (race three) before the $250,000 Group 1 final at 9.33pm (race eight).

“It’s the big unknown, there’s no doubt about that,” Lee said.

“She handles her racing well and usually comes through a run without it taking too much out of her, but this is something totally different.

“I’m glad it’s not the first time we’ve had a crack at the Great Southern Star.

“It’s her first time, but we’ve had goes before with Keayang Chucky and Keayang Ignite and I can assure we learnt a lot from that.

“We think it’s helped the way we prepare her for the night and what we do with her in the three hours or so between the heat and final.

“We’re certainly glad she won the three (qualifying) races she needed (for the bonus) before Kilmore last week, which meant we’ve been able to give her two weeks between runs.”

Keayang Zahara has landed in the stronger of the two Great Southern Star heats (race two), but looks likely to press forward from gate five and find the lead from Rockinwithattitude (gate four).

Ironically, she is also helped by star stablemate Jilliby Ballerini, who looks the second seed in the Great Southern Star, being out of the draw and coming from the second row (gate 10) in heat one.

Stewards put Jilliby Ballerini out of the draw for causing a false start at the first attempt before she went on to win last Saturday night’s Group 1 Kilmore Trotters’ Cup.

“We’re taking her to the Terang trials tonight (Wednesday) and she does everything right there and in her (Great Southern Star) heat, she’ll be back in the draw for the final,” Lee said.

Such is the amazing depth in the Lee clan’s trotting ranks, they also have one of the favourites, Jilliby Dreamlover, in the second Great Southern Star heat.

“She’s come so far in this campaign,” Lee said. “She’s so quick out (at the start), I think there’s a great chance she’ll find the lead and she will run a huge race from there.”

Lee’s brother, Jason, who drives Keayang Zahara said the night was one of the most important in the stable’s history.

“Yes because for all the nice trotters we’ve had and have got now, we haven’t won any of the really big races like the Southern Star or Inter Dominion,” he said.

“You look at people like Andy and Kate Gath who have won five Great Southern Stars and want to be part of that.”

Victory in the Great Southern Star will take Keayang Zahara into equal second spot on the all-time Group 1 list for trotters on 13 wins with Take A Moment. The great Lyell Creek stands alone with the record on 15 wins.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Victoria