Keayang Zahara winning the 2026 Hammerhead Mile
THE records just keep tumbling for trotting wonder mare Keayang Zahara.
As she cruised to her 15th Group 1 win in the $100,000 Hammerhead Mile at Menangle, it gave her a share of all-time record with the great Kiwi Lyell Creek for most Group 1 wins by an Australasian trotter.
And she’s just turned five.
Keayang Zahara also equalled the Australasian record mile time at 1min51.5sec with Maori Time, who set the mark in the 2018 Hammerhead Mile.
But Keayang Zahara looked to do it in second gear.
“She was cruising. She still felt really strong on the line,” driver Jason Lee said.
It was her 27th win from just 28 starts.
Although we’re still only in March, Keayang Zahara looks to have her first Australian Trotting Masters’ title in the bag, too.
Her win in last month’s Great Southern Star and the Hammerhead give her a perfect 200 points after two of the four legs in the series.
She is already odds-on to repeat the dose in the third leg, the Brisbane Inter Dominion trotting final on July 18.
It’s been a trotting season of dominance for her co-trainers Marg and Paddy Lee with stablemate Jilliby Ballerini running second in both legs of the Trotting Masters.
Just as she did in the Great Southern Star, she was best of the rest in the Hammerhead, but no real match for Keayang Zahara.
They will both now head across the ditch for another challenge.
Keayang Zahara and Jilliby Ballerini will try to add to Victoria’s dominance in the $NZ530,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 10.
Just Believe led home a Victorian “first four” in the inaugural 2024 race, while Arcee Phoenix beat Queen Elida to give Victorians the quinella last year.
TROTTING MASTERS POINTS TABLE
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
