Harness racing, like no other code and few other sports, sacredly celebrates the beauty of brilliant, burgeoning talent. 

Yes, the thoroughbreds have races like the Golden Slipper and a slew of various Derbies in this part of the world, while the Yanks place extraordinary value on their Triple Crown and the Europeans also deify their three-year-old stars. 

And yes, the greyhounds offer riches and fame to their younger combatants, though in that game young pups have often scaled the mountain of greatness without stopping off to beat their age-aligned contemporaries. 

Despite these brief, fleeting opportunities for stardom, however, it’s not quite like the trots. 

In Australasia alone, every state and every jurisdiction host their own, native futurity series for age-restricted standardbreds. 

There’s QBreds, Southern Crosses, Harness Jewels’, Breeders Challenges and Breeders Crowns for two, three, four and sometimes even five-year-old horses. 

And Saturday night, there’ll be another, the Vicbred Super Series. Or, as it remains affectionately known by punters and participants alike, ‘The Sires’. 

Sadly, there has always been, and will always be, a vocal fragment of the racing populace that seeks to scuttle anything of value or virtue. 

This fragment, unsurprisingly, have questioned the strength and depth of this evening’s Super Series programme. 

What they forget, however, is the mythical mystery that symbolizes age-restricted racing. 

You might think you know the futures that will follow for the young stars competing this evening; but the actual truth is, you don’t. 

How can we know how high Tradie Lady or Sweet Bella will climb when they’re both currently veterans of three race starts? 

Will The Lost Storm sweep next season’s Derbies, will Cravache Dor become our next trotting megastar, or will Major Moth claim the Del-Re National A G Hunter Cup? 

Does this meeting harbour the inaugural winner of Australasian harness racing’s maiden slot-race, The Eureka, courtesy of Catch A Wave or Encipher? 

Nobody knows, nobody at all, and that’s the beauty of series like the VSS. 

WITH a dozen Group 1 contests to be decided at Melton Saturday night, selecting a seminal highlight is profoundly subjective business. 

Nevertheless, it’s horribly hard to go past the Rock N Roll Heaven Vicbred Super Series final for 4YO entires and geldings. 

And here’s why. 

Despite starting favourite for this month’s Inter Dominion pacing decider, and ultimately finishing third, Act Now is $6.50 to conquer his own age group this evening. 

Let that sink in; that means the horse slated to claim Australasia’s most prestigious open class series just weeks ago is considered little more than a moderate hope of beating his four-year-contemporaries to close out the season. 

Must be a fair old race, mustn’t it? 

The two rivals considered most likely to thwart Act Now are Chariots of Fire champion Better Eclipse and Major Moth, who, in layman’s terms, was Act Now before Act Now after dominating his juvenile term. 

There’ll be many wonderful races Saturday evening, but that one’s the best. 

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.