IT sounds a convoluted comparison but no two ‘products’ have taken more paradoxical paths in recent weeks than harness racing’s regional model and the odd commodity we call cryptocurrency.
Since late last month the fortunes of Bitcoin and its many marginal derivatives have plummeted.
And in the same period, Australia’s pandemic-inspired regional racing model has definitively proven its worth.
Where do we start when assessing the temporary and lasting effects of regional racing?
Primarily, its value was in perpetuating the continuity of racing through a unique circumstance which may have been dire for all three codes had it not been implemented.
But only now are we seeing the residual repercussions of its inauguration.
In the early weeks and months which followed Victoria’s lamentable but necessary lockdown period it seemed patently obvious that the formlines established through 2020 wouldn’t bear ongoing fruit.
When the big guns returned our pandemic heroes were initially outclassed with consummate ease.
Now, however, the worm has turned and there was no better exemplification of that fact than Saturday night at Melton.
First we had Arden Voyager (pictured) landing a massive plunge in the opening event.
This was the horse that won six races between April and July last year, twice breaking 1:55 for Melton’s middle trip.
His form tapered back in the ‘real world’ but Saturday night’s success reminded him that those 2020 successes were real and meaningful.
Soon after Arden Voyager’s triumph we witnessed two more regional stars, Santa Casa Beach and Nephew Of Sonoko, further frank that form.
Above and beyond all of this has been the success of New South Wales’ Regional Championship series.
Originally HRNSW was planning to conduct a $1 million race for restricted horses last year but when COVID struck it moved quickly to create a slew of $100,000 contests across various regions.
The success of those original series convinced HRNSW to maintain the programme this year, and once again they have been a stunning, universal success.
And what about the narratives they’ve manifested.
First there was the Western final staged last Wednesday where young horsewoman Gemma Hewitt landed her first Group 1 in a fledgling career with Keayang Kreuzer.
In Friday’s Hunter final and Sunday’s Riverina final we celebrated a couple of the game’s smaller trainers Geoffrey Harding and Mark Fletcher, who claimed Group 1s with The Choreographer and Father Bob respectively.
But the best story of all was saved for Saturday night’s metro final where Eye Can Run saluted at massive odds.
The win itself was superb but the fact Eye Can Run was trained and driven by KerryAnn Morris just three weeks after giving birth almost boggles the mind.
These are the narratives harness racing can deliver with a little unique thinking borne from a crisis situation.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.