What better way to put all that is 2020 behind us than by celebrating everything we have look forward to in harness racing, especially here in Victoria.

To see out this most confronting of years with 12 Group 1 races, more glimpses of the sport’s brightest stars and some serious mainstream TV exposure sets the tone for what lies ahead.

And it’s amazingly exciting.

Australia’s best pacer Lochinvar Art headlines the show that is Vicbred Super Series finals’ night, but the support acts are plentiful, including Ladies In Red's quest for what Dan Mielicki calls a 'Bo Derek' – a perfect 10 (wins from as many starts).

Then there’s her stablemate, Major Moth, who looks to have the strength to match the explosive speed we’ve already seen in spades. He could be anything.

And that’s just the pacers.

In the trotting ranks, this series seriously underlines just how far the breed has come in the past decade, especially the past five years or so. Will Cover Of Darkness remain unbeaten? Can the exciting Always Ready overcome a back row draw? Will Utopia bring it all together for his last big dance of the season?

So which final are you looking forward to the most?

For me, it’s a toss-up between the two juvenile pacing finals – simply because of the way the marbles have fallen. Major Moth and Ladies In Red are standout babies, but both face their biggest tests so far because their main dangers (both stablemates) have drawn so much better.

Major Moth has gate nine, which means he follows out Idyllic, who should work to the front and looks to be blossoming as the season goes on. I just think Major Moth has it all and will still be too good.

Similarly, as good as Tough Tilly is and, granted, she’s likely to lead and dictate, Ladies In Red is genuinely untapped. We simply don’t know where her bottom is yet.

Those close to the sport know what a great advertisement for the game New Year Eve will be, but HRV wants to seize the opportunity and take it to a new, broader audience.

Four of the marquee Vicbred finals will be part of a 90-minute coverage on free-to-air (7mate) from 8pm, starting with Major Moth against Idyllic in the 2YO pacing colts and geldings final.

Utopia’s juvenile trotting final is next, then comes Ladies In Red versus Tough Tilly.

And what better way to finish than a dash of Lochinvar Art, who is a class above his rivals, but is drawing the pole potentially tricky? He’s been headed-off, stuck in traffic and beaten twice before in feature races from the pole.

Just before things hot-up at Melton, there’s a race in New Zealand on the same night, which is so important to races like the PETstock Ballarat Cup (January 23) and Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup (February 6).

It’s the Group 1 Auckland Cup where comeback star and former Miracle Mile hero Spankem is favourite. He’s already booked to head to Victorian soon after.

His even more glamourous stablemate, Self Assured, is missing the Auckland Cup with a minor setback, but expected to run at Cambridge a week later and join Spankem in the Ballarat and Hunter Cups.

So while New Year’s Eve is a splurge of action, we don’t have much time to rest afterwards with the Bendigo Cup on January 9, Lochinvar Art headlining the Shepparton Cup on January 16 and then the Ballarat Cup a week later.

The trots are back and for the next six weeks, Victoria is the place to be.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COLUMNS FROM THE SKY RACING TEAM