by Adam Hamilton

New Zealand has become the new Sweden for champion Down Under trotter Just Believe.

There was more than a whiff of disappointment when news broke a few weeks back that Just Believe would not be returning to Sweden for another crack at Elitloppet.

But the mighty 8-year-old has proven almost as much as he might have in Stockholm during his first campaign in New Zealand.

Three NZ starts — two of them epic in major races — and one still to come, in the Group 1 Rowe Cup at Auckland’s Alexandra Park on May 24.

In fact, you could argue Just Believe’s wins against quality opposition after doing all the work in the inaugural TAB Trot on April 12 and Friday night’s (May 3) Group 1 National Trot are the two best wins of his career.

In the TAB Trot, he sat parked outside gifted European import Callmethebreeze and beat him with top Aussies Queen Elida and Arcee Phoenix chasing hard in the third and fourth spots.

The hard luck story of that race was NZ’s best trotter, Muscle Mountain, who drew wide, worked hard early and had no luck. His connections immediately set their sights on another crack at the Aussie champ.

That came on Friday when driver Ben Hope used Muscle Mountain’s early brilliance to burn across Just Believe and lead.

And, true to his pre-race words, Hope held the front and forced Just Believe to (yet again) have to sit parked to win a major race.

The result was definitive, Just Believe had Muscle Mountain beaten rounding the final bend and driver Greg Sugars gave him as easy a time as possible on his way to an arrogant and powerhouse victory.

“It’s up with his best wins,” Sugars said. “To do it racing the opposite direction and having been away from home so long. You run out of things to say about him, but he’s just amazing and we’re so lucky to have him.”

Since returning from his three-race Swedish raid in the middle of last year, Just Believe has raced 15 times for 13 wins and two fantastic seconds.

As good as he was before Sweden, he’s come back even better.

“No doubt he’s better,” Sugars said. “That’s amazing in itself. I really thought it would go the other way, that we’d have a go at Sweden and it could or would take a toll on him.

“We couldn’t believe it when he seemed so great early in his first preparation back home and he’s gone on to show that in his races. It’s incredible really, especially given he’s an 8-year-old now. He’s never gone better.”

Just Believe will return home for a break after the Rowe Cup and then trainer Jess Tubbs and driver Sugars will map out how his back half of 2024 looks.

The obvious target is a piece of history through a third successive Inter Dominion trotting crown in the NSW series from Nov. 29 to Dec. 14.

The burning question is whether Just Believe makes another trip to NZ before that for the time-honored Group 1 Dominion Trot in mid-November.

“It’s definitely an option and more so because of how well he’s gone over here this trip,” Sugars said. “We know he travels so well and that the opposition is good, but nothing to be scared of.

“The Inter Dominion will be his main target, but if we can sort travel that won’t interfere too much with his Inter Dominion preparation, then it would be very tempting to go back to NZ.”

It was the changing of the guard in the Queen Elizabeth II Mile.

After almost four years as Australia’s megastar female pacer, Ladies In Red found one better in Australia’s biggest mares’ race at Menangle Saturday (May 4) night.

Younger Kiwi bred-and-owned mare Aardies Express produced a stunning display to gun-down Ladies In Red from a seemingly hopeless position.

The margin was only a neck, but the win was so much bigger given Aardies Express raced three-wide for the entire mile and paced it in 1:49.9.

“When I looked up at the top of the straight and saw how far in front Ladies In Red, I thought it was nearly impossible for us,” trainer/driver Jack Trainor said. “But she really unleashed when I asked her and just kept chasing the leader. It was an incredible win.”

Aardies Express, by Always B Miki out of Rocknroll Hanover mare Tatijana Bromac, has now won 15 of just 21 starts and both races in Australia.

It continued Trainor’s incredible record in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile (formerly Ladyship Mile). He’s now trained and/or driven the past four winners. It started with Stylish Memphis going back-to-back in 2021 and ’22 before Braeview Kelly won last year and now Aardies Express.

“It’s the race that put me on the map and is so special to me,” he said. “I’ve got some owners back in NZ who keep sending me these fantastic mares to train.

“This mare is special, really special. I’m not sure where we will go next. She deserves a few days off before we decide.”

The Group 1 Golden Girl at Brisbane’s Albion Park in July looks like the obvious target.

It was arguably the first time in Ladies In Red’s phenomenal 33 start career you would say she was clearly beaten on her merits. And it was only her eighth defeat in those 33 starts.

Connections have flagged she’s off to the breeding barn at the end of the season. It will be interesting whether they press on after that defeat, despite the fact she certainly wasn’t disgraced.

As the curtain comes down on Ladies In Red’s career, her trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin may have found a replacement in unbeaten 3-year-old filly Very Pretty.

Just 30 minutes before the Queen Elizabeth, Very Pretty stretched her unbeaten record to eight races with the most dominant of Group 1 NSW Oaks wins.

The daughter of American Ideal worked to the front, dictated terms and cruised to a 12.7 meter win.

The overall mile rate was a steady 1:55.9 for the longer 2400m trip, but it was Very Pretty’s closing splits which turned heads. She closed-off in :53.1 and :25.7.

“She’s got it all, this filly,” driver Mark Pitt said. “I know she had it easy in front tonight, but she’s tough and so, so fast. I’m sure she’s just going to keep getting better and better, too.”