In almost every respect, Australasian harness racing treads a myriad of balancing acts regarding any number of subjects.
Some in the industry love sprint lanes, some hate them.
Some yearn for the return and proliferation of standing starts, others view them as outdated and archaic.
And some relish interstate or trans-Tasman rivalries, while others believe such adversarial attitudes only feed disfunction and disunity.
When it comes to these debates, it’s almost impossible to find where truth ends, and subjectivity begins.
In fact, the only measuring sticks by which such subjects may be measured are reality and relativity.
The high-water mark of every NRL season, arguably above the grand final, is State of Origin.
The Bledisloe Cup maintains a romantic importance in Rugby Union which supersedes even the World Cup.
And every major American sport, particularly at college level, lives and dies on passionate, perpetual rivalries which run through the blood of fans nationwide.
On Saturday night, several Victorians made their way to Sydney in pursuit of pillaging foreign riches and came away on top.
First, star filly Rockinwithattitude reminded us of her towering talent and preternatural professionalism by leading throughout – first-up if you don’t mind - in the Group 1 NSW Trotters Oaks.
Then, freak mare Queen Elida made an abject mess of her rivals in the evening’s other elite feature – the Garrards Macarthur Trotters Mile.
Let’s be clear, Victoria’s dedication to squaregaiting has evolved and accelerated in ways which afford them an enormous competitive advantage over all other Australasian jurisdictions outside New Zealand. That represents another story for another time.
Nevertheless, there’s something special about interstate bragging rights regardless of circumstances and regardless of sport.
Before we know it, the Queensland winter carnival will launch.
Hopefully, that carnival will host horses from up and down the eastern seaboard and both islands of NZ at very least.
Pretend as we might that borders matter little and witnessing greatness, regardless of origins, means everything; we know this isn’t true.
Vics will follow Vics, Kiwis will follow Kiwis, Queenslanders will follow Queenslanders and those from New South Wales will also – consciously or subconsciously – support their own.
This isn’t shameful, it’s natural.
And the emotive nature of these rivalries helps rather than hinders harness racing.
As referenced above, it aligns us with those sports we seek to challenge.
Picture: Rockinwithattitude winning the NSW Trotters Oaks. Courtesy: Club Menangle.
Gary and Debbie Quinlan are no strangers to glory in Australian Pacing Gold, age-restricted features.
Nevertheless, Saturday night’s success with Sahara Breeze symbolized something both special and unique.
That’s because they shared their glory with Harness Racing Victoria board member and long-time supporter Peter Watkinson when claiming the APG Gold Bullion Final for three-year-old fillies at Melton Park.
Successes like these are years, sometimes decades in the making.
Often, they never come to pass.
This is why when they happen, words cannot and never will describe what they truly mean.
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.