IT’S official; Nathan Purdon has arrived. 

In some ways that declaration could scarcely be more ludicrous given Purdon - son of Mark, nephew of Barry, and grandson of Roy - is already a Grand Circuit-winning trainer. 

For those who missed it, he achieved that title as a teenager in the winter of 2016 when mentoring Ohoka Punter to glory in the Blacks A Fake at Albion Park. 

But this is different. 

THERE’S something slightly unsettling about the nine-race programme tonight at Tabcorp Park. 

Anybody that’s dedicated time and tears to the brutal art of punting knows that nothing is ever guaranteed; horse racing humbles like few other follies. 

But some puzzles are less predictable than others and few Melton meetings have been more mysterious or challenging than what we tackle tonight. 

BIZARRE as it may sound, racing and sport is often less impelled by its champions and more by its untapped talents, its excitement machines, its shooting stars. 

And on Saturday night, two such talents were responsible for setting a new-look Beckley Park ablaze. 

The first was General Dodge. 

FOR reasons not easily explained racing remains a game of irrational passion. 

Despite its often-heartbreaking nature owners, trainers, punters and breeders blissfully chase implausible dreams with laudable optimism. 

They also chase iconic experiences, and there are few more hyped harness carnivals than that which concluded on Saturday night in Mildura. 

Like Warrnambool, Darwin and Oakbank, Mildura is very much part of racing folklore.

Just as we thought the COVID-19 pandemic was finally waning a new scourge has beset Australian harness racing; but fear not as there looks to light at the end of the tunnel. 

While totally unrelated, three of Victoria’s most significant stars have been victims of infection in recent weeks, two equine and one human. 

First, there was champion pacer Lochinvar Art.