Heza Son Of Agun elevated himself to a new level with a brilliant track record-equaling victory in the VHRC Caduceus 3YO Classic at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night.

Trainer Matthew Craven and driver Sofia Arvidsson combined for a second elite level success with the three-year-old colt, who backed up his Vicbred Super Series triumph on December 31 with a mind-boggling display of sustained speed and toughness.

Arvidsson was unable to cross the unbeaten Captain Ravishing (Ahmed Taiba/Anthony Butt) from barrier five, but it didn’t matter as the son of Art Major sat parked, put his rivals away at the top of the straight before holding on to score by almost 2m.

He matched the Melton 3YO 1720m mark set by Captain Ravishing a couple of weeks earlier, with the mile rate clocked in 1:52.5min.

“He’s just the best,” Arvidsson said post-race.

“He did it tough tonight. I’m just so proud of him because he’s just such a professional.

“He really wants to win, he knows where the line is, even at home. He always digs in until he hits the line first. He just loves it.”

Horsham trainer-driver Aaron Dunn won last year’s VHRC Caduceus 3YO Classic with Bondi Lockdown and ran third in the 2022 edition of the race with Hot Deal, who hit the line hard to finish just behind runner-up Solesseo Matuca (Damien Burns/Chris Alford).

The one-two finish was the same result from the Vicbred Super Series 2YO Colts and Geldings Final on New Year’s Eve.

Owners/breeders Pam and Tony Coniglio were on track at Melton to witness the success of their horse Heza Son Of Agun, who took his career record to seven wins from 17 starts.

MAJESTUOSO SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT

Majestuoso solidified his place as Great Southern Star favourite with a mighty win in the TAB V L Dullard Trotters Cup (2240m).

The Andy Gath-trained six-year-old found the front from barrier three but was pressured hard by Kiwi Temporale (Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett/Greg Sugars), with early quarters of 30sec, 28.8sec and 29sec setting up the race for a rival from the back.

But despite getting home in a modest 29.8sec final fraction, Majestuoso had enough in reserve to hang on and score by 1.4m over the fast-finishing Always Ready (Anton Golino/Nathan Jack), who charged from back in the field for second.

“He was there to be beaten and to fight them off like he did, it was pretty pleasing. Especially leading up to all the big races,” Gath said.

“Even though he won at Shepparton (January 15), he was probably a touch plain and we thought he was probably a little bit underdone, so we’ve worked him pretty solid since hoping he’d bounce back.

“Going into the Great Southern Star, it’s the perfect run you want to have.”

Majestuoso is now a 22-time winner from 46 starts, with prizemoney up over $350,000.

He is a $3 favourite for next Friday’s Great Southern Star, a race Gath claimed last year with stablemate Tornado Valley.

The victory was one of two on the Melton card for Gath and his driver wife Kate, who combined to win with Vacation Hill earlier in the evening.

TRIPLE EIGHT WINS CASEY CLASSIC IN STEWARDS’ ROOM

It was déjà vu for connections of Expensive Ego, who crossed the line first in the Group 2 Allied Express Casey Classic but had the race taken away in the stewards’ room.

The Belinda McCarthy-trained star was also first past the post in the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final at Menangle in December, however was stripped of the title for interference on Boncel Benjamin in the home straight.

And it was the straight that again caused problems on Saturday night, with connections of Triple Eight lodging a protest against Expensive Ego’s wayward run in the concluding stages of the race.

And stewards agreed. They awarded the victory to the Jess Tubbs-trained gelding, who looked set to run past his rival before the alleged interference occurred.

Harness Racing Victoria Chairman of Stewards Brett Day explained that there were two parts to driver Greg Sugars' protest and pointed to incidents immediately upon straightening and also approaching the 100m mark.

"We were satisfied, particularly that second portion, that when he did have to take (Triple Eight) away from Expensive Ego, that it was quite an abrupt movement, that he had to really pull Triple Eight out and away from Expensive Ego," he said.

"We were satisfied that given the head margin between the two runners at the finish of the race, that those two incidents in combination, but for those Triple Eight would have finished ahead of Expensive Ego and the protest was upheld."  

Regardless of the protest result, it was a huge performance from Triple Eight. He was wide early from barrier seven and had to sit parked to Expensive Ego for the last lap of the 2240m trip. The field rated a slick 1:53.9min mile rate, with final quarters of 27.4sec and 27.5sec.

The effort puts him right in the picture for next weekend’s Group 1 $500,000 Del-Re National A.G. Hunter Cup, with TAB having him on the fifth line of betting at $8.

A total of 24 horses have been nominated for a place in the Grand Circuit classic, with the final field to be declared on Monday before the barrier draw is conducted live on TrotsVision from 7pm.

ANDY LEFT WITH A DECISION TO MAKE

Top trainer Andy Gath is yet to decide whether or not he will press on to the Great Southern Star with top Kiwi import Vacation Hill, who blew her rivals away in devastating fashion at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night.

The five-year-old bounced back from a disappointing defeat as a short-priced favourite at Ballarat last weekend with an all-the-way success in the Villawood Properties Trot (2240m).

Gath’s wife Kate sent the mare straight to the top from barrier six and that’s where she stayed, pulling clear in the straight to win by 14m in a mile rate of 1:58.4min.

Vacation Hill is among the 35 nominations for next week’s Great Southern Star, along with stablemates Tornado Valley, Havehorsewilltravel and Majestuoso.

“I honestly don’t know at this stage,” Gath said when asked about a potential GSS start next Friday night.

The victory was Vacation Hill’s seventh from 29 career starts, with the result coming at just her second run since arriving in Australia and joining Gath’s Long Forest stable.

CASH N FLOW SIZZLES INTO MERCURY80 FINAL

Nine-year-old Cash N Flow showed there is plenty of zip left in his legs with a brilliant all-the-way victory in the fourth and final heat of the All In One Property Mercury80 series.

Top young driver Jack Callaghan rolled straight to the lead with the Belinda McCarthy-trained gelding and he was not for catching over the 1200m scamper.

In the end, he pulled clear to score by more than 8m over Bulletproof Boy, who surged late for trainer-driver Scott Ewen to claim the second automatic qualification spot.

“He’s just a classy old horse and probably hasn’t been at the peak of his powers like he was 18 months ago,” Callaghan said.

“But the trip down this week, sharpen him up. He felt really sharp in the warm-up, he loves this track, he’s gone fast times here before.

“He was up and at ‘em and loved that 1200m race just as much as I did.”

Cash N Flow clocked a gross time of 82.3sec, which was a shade outside the 82.2sec Ozzie Battler recorded when taking out heat two.

Eight horses from the four heats progress to the $50,000 final at Melton on February 5.

SPRING SALUTES THANKS TO MORAN MASTERCLASS

A masterful David Moran drive helped Spring In His Step take out the inaugural The Breakthrough Pace Final (Group 2).

Moran snagged back to last aboard the Russell Jack-trained four-year-old from outside the front line before producing the horse three-wide heading into the last lap.

The Kialla reinsman was then able to drop in behind leader and favourite Kimble (Matthew Craven) down the back straight, peel off his back at the turn and race clear to win by more than 6m.

Kimble battled on for second, with Bernie Winkle (Julie Douglas/Ellen Tormey) rattling home for third.

Spring In His Step dead-heated in the first of the heats at Ballarat on January 22, with Kimble a dominant winner of the other.

The entire now has eight victories from 25 career starts.

THE CHAIRMAN OF STEWARDS' WRAP

Brett Day, Harness Racing Victoria's Chairman of Stewards, joined TrotsVision after the last race at Melton.