Aldebaran Zeus
JUST months after Australia’s top trotter, Just Believe, performed so well against some of the world’s best in Sweden, another Down Under star will take on the world in the $US1 million Yonkers International Trot in New York on Sunday morning our time.
Five-time Group 1 winner Aldebaran Zeus, who boasts a win over Just Believe when they last met in the Group 1 Hammerhead Mile at Menangle on March 4, has thrived since arriving at Richard “Nifty” Norman’s New Jersey stables a month ago.
Managing owner Duncan McPherson and champion Aussie driver Chris Alford were reunited with Aldebaran Zeus on Monday.
“He looks great, and we’ve arrived to a lot of positivity about him,” McPherson said. “Brent (Lilley, trainer) has been here almost three weeks and took him to a qualifier (trial) at the Harrahs track in Philadelphia last week.
“Brad Chisholm, who is based over here now and used to work for Brent, drove him and said he felt great. He ran a tick over 1min53sec for his mile with the (ear) plugs in and hard held.
“He then worked really well again at Nifty’s place on Saturday.”
“Everyone has been a bit surprised at how well he went in the qualifier and how good his work has been. They all know he’s not just here to make up the numbers.”
Importantly, Aldebaran Zeus acclimatised to the much warmer weather and put back on most of the 40kgs he lost during ten days of travel from Victoria to New Jersey, including a week of quarantine in Chicago.
“He looks great. He’s fired up and ready to go. Give us another few days to the race, and we’ll have him as good as we can,” McPherson said.
“He heads over to Yonkers where he has to be in a pre-race retention barn with all the other runners from noon on Friday (New York time), but we’ll have him right where we want him by then.”
McPherson knows the enormity of the challenge against some of the best trotters in the world from six different countries: Norway, Finland, Italy, Canada, Australia and the US.
It’s been made even harder with a bad barrier. He’ll start from gate seven, second from the outside on the front row.
“We certainly hoped for better, ideally one, two or three with the gate speed he has,” McPherson said. “But, you’ve got to allow yourself to dream to live your dreams, and that’s what we’re doing.”
“I’m so appreciative of the invitation from Yonkers for the horse to run and flying the flag for Down Under trotting as we do it.”
McPherson also draws inspiration and even some confidence from Just Believe’s deeds through a three-race Swedish raid in May/June, where he ran a second and third against elite company.
“How good was that?” he said. “I’ve felt for a while our best would be up with the best in the world, and look at what Just Believe did, without having much luck, either.
“And we beat him over a mile, the same distance as this Yonkers race, when we last met him at Menangle back in March.”
“Then he went over and did what he did in Sweden, so it has to make you feel better about our chances here.”
Alford, who is by far Australasia’s most successful driver with almost 8000 career wins, was thrilled to get the call-up.
“Sure, I’ve been his regular driver at home, but you wonder whether they’ll want to use a local in a race like that,” he said. “It’s a privilege and certainly a thrill to be driving him. Now I’ve just got to hope for some luck from that barrier.”
Aldebaran Zeus’s past two Group 1 wins have been in the Hammerhead Mile at Menangle on March 4 and the Aldebaran Maori Mile on January 7.
· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
