Susan Is Her Name winning the 2025 Macarthur Mile
HARNESS racing’s hottest winning streak is over.
Boom Victorian trotting mare Keayang Zahara suffered her first defeat in more than a year and at her 16th start when gunned down by another Victorian raider, Susan Is Her Name, in the Group 1 Macarthur Mile at Menangle last night.
The glamour girls smashed the clock with a 1min51.7sec mile, just 0.2sec outside Maori Time’s Australasian record.
Keayang Zahara, who had won seven Group 1 races, was sent out an easing $1.55 favourite and led, but couldn’t hold-off a dazzling finish from the heavily backed Susan Is Her Name ($9 into $2.60), who stalked her throughout.
The injury-plagued Susan Is Her Name posted her 11th win from just 17 starts when raced clear to win by 3.8m.
Excitingly, the pair are on target to continue their rivalry in the rich Brisbane Inter Dominion series at Albion Park in July.
Driver Mark Pitt was thrilled but not surprised Susan Is Her Name ended Keayang Zahara’s unbeaten streak.
“I came here full of confidence, so did the team,” he said. “We’ve got a huge opinion of this mare and felt if we could lead or get the sit on Keayang Zahara, she would need to be at the top of her game to beat us.
“She’s only lightly-raced this mare, but she’s got so much speed … she’s electric.”
Keayang Zahara’s 15 race winning streak was the sixth longest by an Australasian trotter.
On the same card, champion driver Luke McCarthy continued his phenomenal season with a Group 1 double.
McCarthy, who won the Miracle Mile in March with Don Hugo, snared last night’s $200,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile (formerly Ladyship) with his own mare Eye Keep Smiling. He also won on pick-up drive Gatesys Gem in the NSW Trotters’ Oaks.
Eye Keep Smiling was fantastic, taking her record to 23 wins and five seconds from just 34 starts and going past $650,000 in earnings.
“God she went good,” McCarthy said. “She just tries so hard, that was awesome.
“She’s one of the best mares I’ve driven and I’ve been lucky enough to drive some champion mares.
“She was entitled to get beaten after that run, but there wasn’t much I could do from the draw. She just wouldn’t lay down.”
Eye Keep Smiling will be part of a big McCarthy team heading to Queensland in coming weeks. Her main target will be a title defence in the Group 1 Golden Girl.
Another bound for Queensland is last night’s NSW Oaks winner Cool And Classy, a Grant Dixon-trained stablemate of champion pacer Leap To Fame.
It capped a huge night for Dixon, after it was also confirmed last night’s Group 1 NZ Sires’ Stake winner Captains Mistress would be joining their stable to chase the Queensland Oaks in July.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
