There are many ways to assess the progress different nations and different industries have made as COVID-19's global pandemic peak drifts quietly further behind us. 

The best measurements – for countries at least – relate to cases and fatalities. Industry normalcy is tougher to define in many cases. 

Not, however, when it comes to southern hemisphere harness racing. In every meaningful way, the trots were monitoring three key performance indicators as we emerged from almost two years of lockdown. 

One was whether we could maintain the spike in turnover and interest manifested by those lockdowns. 

Unlike most industries, Aussie harness racing thrived in its own way through the pandemic crisis. As one of the only sports that continued almost constantly through COVID-19 the trots garnered an unnaturally captive audience. 

And, yes, all initial indicators suggest that those who joined the fold during lockdown have stuck fat as the ‘new normal’ has evolved. 

The second KPI was all about crowds. 

In this regard, the initial signs for all sports were grim, but as traditional behaviours have boomeranged in recent months, harness racing’s crowds – particularly in Victoria – have boomed. 

From October last year, Tabcorp Park Melton has welcomed record numbers through the gates for their very biggest meetings and there’s also been above average on-course attendance at your run-of-the-mill metro meeting as well. 

Meat Loaf – who tragically passed as the result of COVID-19 complications almost two years ago today – once warbled that two out of three ain’t bad. 

It ain’t bad; but three out of three is better, and the third factor which remained missing was trans-Tasman travel. 

Or, more importantly, trans-Tasman success; and that long-missing piece to the puzzle slotted nicely into place on Saturday night at Shepparton. 

Sure, we’d already hosted Copy That and Bolt For Brilliance in their failed or forlorn campaigns late last year, but there was something different about Cranbourne’s success in the Group 2 Neatline Homes Shepparton Gold Cup. 

Here we had a Kiwi commodity with strong but far from staggering Kiwi form come and own an Inter Dominion winner, a Vic Cup king and a Blacks A Fake champion among others. 

In one sense, this scenario brings back horrid memories for Australian punters and participants. 

In another, it’s utterly indicative that the madness and mayhem of 2020/21 is finally, thankfully, behind us. 

CHAMPION trainer Marg Lee must rate Sunday’s Hamilton heroics among her greatest days as an equine mentor. 

First, Lee, in combination with son Jason, claimed the Alexandra House Sports Club Hamilton Trotters Cup with comeback queen Keayang Livana, who could have been anything at her best and has been patiently prepared by team Lee for another, unlikely crack at elite competition. 

Then, Marg paired with improving young reinswoman Codi Rauchenberger to win the Matthews Petroleum Hamilton Pacing Cup with the even more improved Jilliby Sylvester. 

Days like this only come via hard work and extreme talent. Marg and her team are happily blessed with both.  

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.