WHEN those that work in racing reveal their profession to outsiders, those not consumed by the industry commonly query just how busy things are "at the moment". 

For the average Uber driver, barperson and barber, racing lives large during the Spring Carnival and quietly recedes for the remainder of the year. 

Those within the bubble know nothing could be further from the truth. 

And one of the many wonderful aspects of harness racing in particular, beyond its perpetual nature, is the fact that current and future front up almost every week. 

Tonight at Tabcorp Park the headline heroes are Spellbound and Max Delight. 

It’s not unreasonable to suggest that Spellbound, a former Kiwi with significant wraps, rocked up in Victoria at a fairly fruitful time. 

For a myriad reasons, including the leviathan American market’s passion for Aussie female pacers, the depth of quality local mares has been moderated in relative terms. 

Nathan Purdon’s flagship pacer is also facing a new type of test tonight over 2240m when her two Victorian wins have been over shorter trips. 

That being said she’s made the kind of impression in those successes that suggests she could be the premier mare on Aussie soil. 

And the specter of that potential will ensure punters watch tonight’s sixth event from Melton. 

They’ll also tune in for the fast class event where Max Delight struts his stuff. 

Even if he achieves nothing else in his career Max Delight will forever be remembered for Victorian and Australian three-year-old of the year honours in the same generation as Lochinvar Art. 

Recent efforts indicate he’ll be adding to that legacy at the elite level, however, and he should send a future warning signal with a dominant triumph this evening 

IN the current global sporting landscape leveraging advocacy from big name stars is worth its weight in gold, so much so that administrations will pay big purses to have their industry tied to influencers whenever an opportunity avails. 

Australian harness racing doesn’t have the monster marketing budget of some sports, but they received some free patronage this week which should have rewarding consequences. 

That patronage came from UFC star Charles Oliveira. 

Tomorrow, Oliveira will headline UFC 262 and heading into his clash with Michael Chandler the outstanding lightweight shared a You Tube video outlining his passion for harness racing. 

Soon after it came to light that NBA megastar Nikola Jokic is also a passionate advocate for the sport. 

Both men revealed that their time with horses provided peace and balance for their broader sporting pursuits. 

On Twitter, where racing lives from a social media perspective, Oliveira has over 29,000 followers while Jokic is heavily favoured to receive MVP honours in the world’s biggest basketball league this season. 

You simply cannot buy that kind of organic promotion.

CLICK BELOW TO WATCH CHARLES OLIVIERA ON HARNESS RACING:

>> WATCH: GET PREPPED FOR MELTON TONIGHT WITH 'BURNING QUESTIONS'

 

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.