Maori Mile, Cup success deliver banner night for Lees and Craven

IT was a banner night for trainers Marg and Paddy Lee and driver Glen Craven at Melton Entertainment Park last Saturday night, landing both of the rich trotting features on Bendigo Pacing Cup night.

The Ecklin South-based mother-and-son team captured the first Group 1 on offer anywhere in the world in 2026 by claiming the coveted $100,000 Maori Mile (1720m) with trotting sensation Keayang Zahara, and earlier savoured Group 3 success with Jilliby Ballerini in the $30,000 Bendigo Trotters Cup (2760m).

Keayang Zahara – the $1.04 favourite – made it 21 wins from 22 starts with her emphatic front-running 5.2m Maori Mile victory.

The five-year-old became the third highest-ever stakes-winning trotting mare in Australasian history at $925,035, behind Queen Elida who had lifetime earnings of $1,103,470 and One Over Kenny ($1,060,394).

Her win was never in doubt after Craven effortlessly took Keayang Zahara straight to the front from his gate three draw.

“I’m privileged to drive such a good mare, I can’t thank everyone enough,” he said.

“It gives you goosebumps.

“It was a matter of just keeping the one (Imperial Monarch) out wide. We always thought the front was going to be there (for the taking) and we were just going to get there as easy as we could.

“If we had to come out harder, we could have come out harder, but luckily it played into our hands like that and we were able to dictate.

“She did it pretty comfortably – I didn’t ask much of her.

“Who knows (what the future holds) … it’s all ahead of her. Hopefully she can just keep doing what she’s doing.”

Chasing three straight Maori Mile wins for former Bendigo trainer-driver Chris Svanosio, Arcee Phoenix ($21) was brave in defeat first-up from a spell, finishing second, four metres clear of Im Bobby ($23) in third in the small six-horse field.

Keayang Zahara notched her 11th Group race win and has now won three straight Group 1s, including last month’s The Great Square at Albion Park and the Vicbred Super Series for four-year-old mares in November.

Saturday night’s win put the Lees and their owners in line for a $1 million bonus if the mare can win at least four of the six races during the Summer of Glory series.

Those wins must include the $250,000 Great Southern Star at Melton on 14 February.

Paddy Lee said the most pleasing part of Saturday night’s win was seeing Keayang Zahara relax after finding an early lead.

 

“We’ll go home and see if she eats up and make sure she recovers well and we’ll map out a plan of where she goes over the next six weeks,” he said.

“She’ll tell us (where she’ll go next).”

Class again prevailed in the Bendigo Trotters Cup (2760m) as Jilliby Ballerini made short work of her 30m handicap to score an emphatic 9.4m victory.

The five-year-old mare, by Majestic Son out of Shesasundon, made it 13 wins from 28 starts, notching up her second country cup win in little over two months following her win in the $30,000 Maryborough Trotters Cup in November.

Craven praised another accomplished performance by Marg and Paddy Lee’s trotter on the rise.

“She was very sharp tonight. We were just able to settle back in the field and she just used her raw speed to round them up off the back and around the home corner, and she just did it nice and easy,” he said.

“I probably missed the start a little bit, I was a bit back off the tape too far, so I probably gave myself a bit more of a handicap. But she was on the back of them so quick, she did it so easy which was a good sign.”

With two phenomenal talents within their ranks, the Lees at least in the short term plan to keep Keayang Zahara and Jilliby Ballerini apart from each other in races for now.

The pair did notably clash in the Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint at Melton in October, with Keayang Zahara emerging victorious second-up after a spell, with Jilliby Ballerini 2.2 metres behind in second.

“You’ve probably got to remember that back then, Keayang Zahara was second-up from a fair spell and this mare (Jilliby Ballerini) had been racing and was rock-hard fit,” Craven said.

“It will be interesting when they do race again, but hopefully we can keep them apart for now.”

Craven pinpointed the $30,000 Delvin Dancer (2200m) for four and five-year-old trotters on Ballarat Pacing Cup night on 24 January as a potential next target for Jilliby Ballerini, with Keayang Sahara a likely contender for the $75,000 Ballarat Trotters Cup (2200m).