Morsels of trivia by their very definition are trivial. So it matters very little that no horse has won a Del-Re National Italian Cup and an Inter Dominion Pacing Grand Final in the same year, because if Soho Tribeca proves ID18 king of Victoria this coming December he’ll obviously have created all kinds of history.

That said, I did find it interesting that My Lightning Blue, somewhat relatively similar to Soho Tribeca in that he was famous in the mid to late 1980s for his toughness, won the ’86 Italian Cup and went on to win the ’87 Interdom.

Tonight at Tabcorp Park Melton, Michael Stanley produced a racehorse perfectly placed to grab command of the Grand Circuit spotlight in coming months and seasons, Soho Tribeca, to take out this year’s Del-Re National Italian Cup.

The talented Burrumbeet trainer/driver in fact, for just the first time ever, had the reins behind the authoritative five-year-old son of American Ideal in a race situation. He’s driven the horse to countless laps of his training track, but this was something else.

Despite being only “about 80 per cent” according to Stanley post-race, Soho Tribeca thoroughly thrashed his rivals in the 2240-metre fast-class feature from the extreme second-row draw, cruising home in a 1:54.5 mile rate and in a style that made it crystal clear he could have significantly lowered that mark if required.

Stanley spoke of the “privilege” of being involved with a horse like Soho Tribeca post-race.

“That’s the first time I’ve had the privilege of sitting behind him in a race and that was something special,” he said.

“I’ve never felt that before. We’re really excited to see what’s in store for the rest of the preparation.”

It’s a preparation that will take in New South Wales and Queensland in coming weeks, and the superstar pacer’s race-fitness levels will only improve each time he steps out until his Queensland Grand Final in the Blacks A Fake.

“He’s 80 per cent, I’d say. We’ll press on to the Len Smith (Mile) in two weeks then we’ll go to Queensland for the Blacks A Fake. The whole preparation is aimed at that last run in Queensland,” he said.

Soho Tribeca and Stanley wasted no time getting into the action tonight from barrier 11, working around the field for the first 600m or so before taking up the running.

The Kilmore Cup winner and Hunter Cup runner-up then produced a final half-mile of 56.1 and cruised home by 5.2m ahead of a gutsy Sams The Master in second for Greg Sugars, with a further 9.4m back to Magical Marn in third place.

Stanley acknowledged all his training as a “team effort”, making special mention of wife Gen and the stable’s gun rising star reinsman Ryan Duffy, and he lauded Soho Tribeca’s maturation in the previous 12 months.

“This time last year he won the four-year-old Vicbred, and what he has done since then has been amazing,” he said.

“I’m just very grateful from Robert and Annette Watson to have the opportunity with Soho Tribeca and hopefully he’s the one to step up and take that place (at the top of the Grand Circuit ladder).”

Tonight’s trotting feature, the Wagon Apollo Trotters Free for All, went to another rising open-age star in Tornado Valley for trainer Andy Gath and reinswoman wife Kate Gath.

The six-year-old son of Skyvalley led from gate seven in the 2240m race and held off a flashy Kyvalley Blur by 2.5m in a rate of 1:59.5.

Driver Kate Gath dictated terms perfectly from the front in full knowledge her major danger, Tough Monarch, was following her helmet. Approaching the final bend Gath saw Alford and Kyvalley Blur coming out wide and upped the ante aboard Tornado Valley, the gun squaregaiter responding to make it nine wins from his past 10 starts (and nine wins out of 12 since joining the Gath stable from New Zealand).

“I saw Puppet (Alford) coming so I thought ‘I have to ask him now’,” Gath said.

“When you got a little bit slower like that it does bring other ones in, so you do have to be careful but it worked out well tonight.

“He’s just done such a good job. He’s been up a long time but he’s relishing where he is and he just knows how to find the line.”

Gath said the Trotters Inter Dominion later this year was the major aim for Tornado Valley.

Earlier tonight Lance Justice produced Rishi for a narrow win in the M0 Allied Express Pace over 2240m from gate two.

The four-year-old gelding by Bettors Delight held the front early, which proved invaluable, and then held off an audacious Artful Christian for Chris Svanosio to win by a half-head in 1:58.0.

Punters who took the $1.5 about the favourite may have been nervous as the margin got shorter and shorter in the home stretch, but Justice said he always felt confident.

“It felt like he was always going to do the job. That’s the sort of horse he is, he just does what he has to do. There are plenty of races left him, that’s for sure,” Justice said, going on to nominate the Breeders Crown as the target after a freshen-up.

And trainer Dean Braun told Trots Vision that Duplicated, his three-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere, would head to Queensland for a Derby tilt after an effortless win in the Nicola Pace Final over 2240m with Nathan Jack in the gig.

Duplicated has a four-out-of-four win record since crossing the ditch and did it very comfortably tonight in 2:01.7.

Other winners were Solarsonic for Chris Svanosio in the DNR Logistics Pace, Kinvara Sue for Anton Golino and Jason Lee in the TAB Multiplier Trot, Deltasun for Terry Young and Gavin Lang in the Alabar 4YO Trot, Classy Western for trainer/driver Allan McDonough in the Pasticceria Padova Claiming Pace, Eleniark for Qld’s Grant Dixon and reinsman John Caldow in the DRN Gold Vicbred Pace, Hot Breakfast for Malcolm Phillips and James Herbertson in the Empire Stallions Vicbred Platinum Country Series O Final and Flyin Around for Anne-Maree and Glenn Conroy in the Bertocchi 3YO Trot.