Just Believe Photo by Dan Costello
IT has been a struggle for Victorian pacers at the Inter Dominion, but the state’s recent dominance of the trotting series is continuing at Albion Park.
Victorian-trained trotters have won all five heats of the series so far and dominate betting to take a clean sweep by adding the remaining two heats on Saturday night.
Defending trotting champion Just Believe is $1.20 to win his third-round heat, with fellow Victorian Ollivici the only real danger at $5.
Victorians are the top three favourites in the other heat: Queen Elida ($1.70), Plymouth Chubb ($3) and Mufasa Metro ($5.50).
That quintet are the first five in betting for Saturday week’s Grand Final, where Just Believe is $1.50 to successfully defend the crown he won at Melton last year.
In fact, this year’s final could be even more similar to last year, where Victorian-trained runners filled the top four places. Of them, Queen Elida (third) and Mufasa Metro (fourth) are back again with Just Believe.
More broadly, Victorians have won three of the past four trotting finals conducted, including Maori Law at Menangle in 2021 and Tornado Valley at Melton in 2018.
Going into this Brisbane series, co-trainer and driver Greg Sugars said Just Believe felt better than he did 12 months ago despite having spent a few months in the middle of the year in Sweden.
And the rising eight-year-old’s two Albion Park runs have only reinforced that to Sugars.
“He’s an all-round package, and we’re just thrilled to have him,” Sugars said after Just Believe sat parked and wore down the exciting opening night winner and fellow Victorian Plymouth Chubb in Tuesday’s heat.
“He just keeps getting the job done and making us look good. He’s come back so well.”
Queen Elida bounced back from a disappointing first night second to run a mighty second after doing a power of work on Tuesday.
“She felt like a totally different horse. It might have been how hard the track was on the first night; they had a lot more ‘top’ on it Tuesday. She was much more like her old self,” driver Chris Alford said.
While trainer-driver Chris Lang has been saying for a year that Ollivici was his next serious Inter Dominion horse, and he’s been proven right with two wins from as many heats so far.
“I still think he’ll be better again in another 6 to 12 months, but he’s shown he’s up with them with the right run,” Lang said.
“I know he had the drop on them Tuesday, but he had to do a lot of chasing and come three-wide on the home bend. He did a really good job.”
Plymouth Chubb, who is still just four, has been a revelation, while the speedy Mufasa Metro is always competitive at the top level with a decent barrier.
It’s a different story in the pacing division, where it’s been slim pickings for Victorians for many years.
The last Victorian-trained winner was Lennytheshark eight years ago in Perth. Before that, it was way Shakamaker way back at Moonee Valley in 2000.
Victorians did run second (Torrid Saint), third (Act Now), and fourth (Honolua Bay) in last year’s pacing final at Melton, but in a series dominated (at least in betting) by Queensland’s Leap To Fame and NSW’s Swayzee, Better Eclipse looks our only possible winning hope.
The stablemate of Just Believe is certainly in career-best form, and his two heat runs – a win on opening night and a fighting second on Tuesday – have been fantastic.
We will know more about his chances when he comes from a back row draw (gate 10) against Swayzee (barrier one) on Saturday night.
· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
