Team Zav Heading to QLD Constellations Carnival

LEVIATHAN owners Danny and Jo Zavitsanos are hitting Queensland in force.

And they hope it will be just the start of the huge back half of the year.

Their proven Grand Circuit star and multiple Group 1 winner Mach Dan showed he was primed for two major Queensland targets when he returned from a spell with a sparkling Melton win last night.

And high-class filly Tempting Tigress returned to winning form at Melton as she prepares for the Queensland Oaks.

The pair will head north this week as part of the biggest assault top Victorian trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin have had on Queensland’s Constellations Carnival yet.

Stewart and Tonkin were buoyed by winning last year’s Group1 Rising Sun in Queensland with their sidelined champion mare Ladies In Red.

Ladies In Red will return to Queensland again, but most likely just in a holiday capacity as she prepares from a comeback from a tendon injury.

Danny Zavitsanos said he was buoyed by Mach Dan’s Melton return and optimistic about his chances in the $200,000 Group 1 Sunshine Sprint on July 15 and the $400,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake a week later.

“It’s great to have him back,” he said. “He won well and each campaign he comes back, he seems to just get that little bit better.

“Let’s hope this is his time and he can have a big finish to the year, starting with this Brisbane trip.

“He’s already won some nice races and we’d love him to win a really big one. He’s a real favourite of ours.”

Tempting Tigress played second-fiddle to then unbeaten stablemate Major Delight at two, but with her sidelined after a setback, the Queensland Oaks is quite open.

“She’s a lovely filly and after a few tough runs in defeat, it was great to see her get the win last night,” Zavitsanos said.

Tempting Tigress and Joyful, who won first-up at Maryborough last Friday, look set to fly the Stewart/Tonkin flag in the Queensland Oaks.

Zavitsanos is also excited about the looming return to racing of buzz pacer Captain Ravishing, who race in the Team Zav slot in the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 2.

“It sounds like he’s only a few weeks away from the races,” he said.

“I spoke with Hass (Taiba, managing owner) last night and he said they were very happy with the horse.

“It’ll be great to have him back and we know how good he is at his top.

“It’s exciting to be such a big part of the TAB Eureka which is such a great thing for the sport.”

Team Zav is running a TAB Eureka promotional night at Zavitsanos’ home track, Geelong, on August 9 and hopes to have two of Victoria’s major contenders work between races.

“Ideally, we’d love to have Captain Ravishing and Catch A Wave there,"

he said. “Everyone is keen, but it’ll depend on racing schedules closer to it. We should know in the next week or two how it’s all shaping up.”

Trainer Andy Gath said Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave was “almost set to go again.”

“He seems to have filled-out and developed during the break and he’s not far off a trial,” he said.

·       Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing

for News Corp.