Never before has one race represented the global revolution gripping Australian squaregaiting quite like Saturday night's Group 1 Catanach's Jewellers Victoria Trotters Oaks at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Staggeringly, 11 of the 12 fillies engaged to contest this evening's feature are the product of American or European sires.
Popular elect Amandine and stablemate Courmayeur are both by French Stallion Village Mystic while Used To Be A Maid (Used To Me), Lindys Love (Love You) and Revelstoke (Quaker Jet) are also bred from French Bloodlines.
Europe's influence is further fortified by Illawong Larajay, the daughter of Swedish stallion Sebastian K and Ebonys Avenger, the product of Finnish sire Kvintet Avenger.
Then there's the Yanks.
Father Patrick has two runners in Saturday night's premier classic, Just A Bit Touchy and Egret, while Trixton has given us Aldebaran Vera and Kadabra has fathered Aldebaran Keepa.
Predictably, this incredible influx of world-class blood has made Australia's young trotters faster then ever before.
Which is why this evening's Oaks will be such a spectacle to behold.
LISTEN: Get prepped for Saturday night's racing with Jason Bonnington and Dan Mielicki on SEN Track's Friday Form Panel ...
THE Victoria Oaks will take center stage on tonight's 10-race programme, but it won't be the only high-class squaregaiting feature.
Earlier in the night The Locomotive will step out in Melton's Group 2 IRT Australia Tatlow Stakes, while the final leg of tonight's quaddie - the Aldebaran Park Maori Miss Trotters Free For All - will feature several Inter Dominion aspirants, none more gifted than magnificent four-year-old mare, Queen Elida.
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.