US adventure comes to an end for Aldebaran Zeus

Australian squaregaiting globetrotter Aldebaran Zeus (Muscle Hill) is on his way home from the United States and will land back in Victoria later this afternoon.

Owner-breeder Duncan McPherson told thetrots.com.au that the multiple Group 1 harness racing winner would travel his final stretch home from Auckland alongside star Kiwi youngster Dont Stop Dreaming and then return to trainer Brent Lilley’s property in Bolinda.

Aldebaran Zeus ventured to the United States in August and competed in the MGM Yonkers International Trot in New York during early September, running a good fifth from a wide barrier. He remained in the care of Richard “Nifty” Norman after that – having a further five US starts – before returning to quarantine in mid-December.

“He’s had his spell. We treated his quarantine period as his spell, and Brent will assess him and decide what our options are,” McPherson said.

Among the most likely of those immediate options is a trip to New Zealand for the inaugural TAB Trot slot race at Cambridge on April 12, an overseas campaign which could include a title defence in the Waikato Flying Mile as a lead-up run.

“If it’s not that, then we will aim at other feature races further down the track,” McPherson, who owns one of the eight TAB Trot slots, said.

Aldebaran Zeus is the reigning Victorian 4YO Trotting Entire/Gelding of the Year.

Four-time Group 1 winner Dont Stop Dreaming will have his first Australian start for trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon in Saturday night’s Allied Express Casey Classic at Melton before a likely run in the SENTrack A G Hunter Cup, at the same venue, on February 3.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria