Having conquered New Zealand, Marg Lee now has another career milestone in sight.
Lee won’t just have her first runner but rather three of them – that’s a quarter of the harness racing field – in the Inter Dominion trotting final at Menangle on Saturday night.
Her only previous Inter Dominion runner was a pacer, Keayang Cullen, who ran 11th and eighth respectively in the pacing finals of 2013 and ā14.
For her son Jason, who drove Keayang Zahara (Volstead) to three dominant victories in New Zealand, this will be his first drive in any Inter Dominion final when he teams with the familyās top hope, Keayang Chucky, a $5 chance from gate three.
āItās been an amazing year, especially these past few months,ā Marg Lee said, āyouāve got to pinch yourself to get a trotter like Keayang Zahara. Weāve been in the game a long time and done the hard yards and to have her come along is a dream.
Keayang Zahara’s New Zealand campaign culminated with an eight demolition of the field in Friday’s Garrards New Zealand Trotting Derby at Addington.
āNow, as she goes out for a spell, the others step-up and give us three in this (Inter Dominion) final. Just getting one in wouldāve been terrific, but three is amazing. All credit to Paddy (Lee, Margās son), heās done all the work with them in Sydney and theyāve all thrived.
āKeayang Chucky is our best hope, especially from the draw. Jase will drive him.
āWill (Rixon) will drive our second pick, Paddy will work that out with him, then weāll offer Lochie Cook the other drive. He deserves that with all the work heās done at home.ā
Rixon, a NSW young gun and family friend of the Leeās, did the stable driving in the first two rounds heats while Jason Lee focused on Keayang Zahara in NZ.
Saturday night will be 23-year-old Rixonās first Inter Dominion final drive in a career which has netted almost 700 wins, but just one at Group 1 level.
Meanwhile, Keayang Zahara is due back at the Lee’s Ecklin South farm, about three hours south-west of Melbourne, later this week.
“She flies into Sydney and then we’ll float her back home for a good spell. She won’t be back for any of those races early next year,” Lee said.
byĀ Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand