As we've witnessed in recent weeks, the AFL's preliminary final weekend is often better than the big dance which follows seven days later.
Well tomorrow night's meeting at Tabcorp Park Melton - despite being marketed as night one of the Victoria Cup carnival - is actually comparable to prelim night for three Group 1 events next Saturday night, the Vic Cup, the Vic Derby and the Vic Oaks.
And just as many questions are answered when the top four teams meet in late September, myriad queries will find some sense of resolution from what we witness at Victorian harness headquarters Saturday evening.
In each of three heats for the Pryde's EasiFeed Vic Oaks, doubts and convictions will either be dispelled or confirmed.
In heat one we'll find out just how much Emma Stewart's heavily spruiked filly Encipher has improved this prep and whether she's now leagues above fellow female stars like Just Hope and Petillante.
In heat two, it's D-Day of sorts for Amore Vita - once clearly rated Australia's top filly but seemingly more vulnerable than ever since a disappointing Queensland campaign.
And in heat three, Soho Historia must confirm once again - if she didn't when winning the Queensland Oaks - that she's capable of overcoming adverse circumstances after drawing inside the second line.
Then, there's the burning questions surrounding two staggeringly gifted sons of Captaintreacherous in separate qualifiers for this year's Downbytheseaside Victoria Derby.
In heat one, Catch A Wave (pictured) must overcome gate 12 and a pervasive belief that his manners and racing style won't be well suited to the Derby heat's 2760m trip.
Similar doubts, if slightly less pressing, surround Captain Ravishing in heat two of the Derby as he seeks to continue what has rapidly become a record-breaking, mind-boggling campaign.
The other query in heat two relates to Grant Dixon's dual Derby winner Leap To Fame.
On established performances, he's the benchmark three-year-old contesting this series yet some still question the strength of that Sunshine Stater's opposition in his Group 1 successes to date.
All this and we haven't yet inspected the evening's feature event - the TAB Smoken Up Sprint - where further questions abound.
Is Copy That back to his New Zealand Cup-winning best? Is Better Eclipse ready to roll fresh from a break? Has Bondi Lockdown been broken by all his Herculean efforts at age-restricted level?
Even when they call a close on the extraordinary action at Melton tomorrow night, some of these conundrums will continue to twist in the wind.
Nevertheless, simply by tuning in to what transpires, punters will be far better placed to profit next weekend from what they learn across the evening's 10 events.
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.