The Great Southern Star has been run just 11 times and nobody has built its profile more than Andy and Kate Gath.

The power couple have won four of the 11 runnings, including four of the past seven.

It started with Glenferrie Typhoon in 2017, then champion Tornado Valley went back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.

Jess Tubbs hopes that Hunter Cup week finishes better than it started.

A couple of awful draws have made life much harder for Tubbs' stable stars, Just Believe and Better Eclipse, in their respective feature races.

Tubbs conceded Just Believe's gate nine – against Queen Elida (four) and Arcee Phoenix (three) – potentially made the race his biggest challenge since returning from Sweden.

Luck is finally starting to turn for Australia's best pacer, Leap To Fame, in the biggest races.

After being plagued by awful barrier draws for so long, the Queensland sensation drew almost ideally in gate six for Saturday night's $450,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup (2760m) at Melton. He will move into five if the emergency Cantfindabettorman doesn't get a start from one.

Victorian fans could see more of Australia’s top pacer Leap To Fame than expected.

In what could be an absolute coup, trainer-driver Grant Dixon confirmed he was “certainly looking seriously” at staying a week longer in Victoria for the $100,000 Group 2 Cranbourne Cup on February 10.

Champion Kiwi trainer Mark Purdon thinks his young star Don’t Stop Dreaming can give him a third Hunter Cup win.

Purdon won Victoria’s biggest race with Smolda in 2016 and Lazarus in 2018 and has a big opinion of Don’t Stop Dreaming ahead of next Saturday night’s $450,000 Group 1 feature at Melton.

Champion Kiwi horseman Mark Purdon has built much of his stellar career around pillaging Victoria’s biggest races.

The pandemic put a halt on things, but Purdon will return to Melton for the first time in four years with his exciting young pacer Dont Stop Dreaming on Saturday night.

Purdon was to have his best pacers at the meeting, but top seed Akuta sustained a leg injury last week and severity won’t be known until late next week.

Team McCarthy is adding its class to the $450,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup.

Co-trainer Luke McCarthy confirmed stable stars Spirit Of St Louis and Cantfindabettorman would both head to Melbourne for Victoria’s biggest and most famous race.

The two brightest stars of harness racing, Leap To Fame and Just Believe, are set to light up Victoria's biggest meeting, Hunter Cup, at Melton on Saturday week.

The glamour pair are both on six-race winning streaks and odds-on favourites in pre-post markets to win their respective Melton targets.

​​​​​Champion driver Chris Alford can’t split them.

Asked the best horse he’s driven through a stellar 40-year career and as he nears an historic 8000^th career win, Alford said Golden Reign and Lennytheshark share top billing.

Trainer Andy Gath is thrilled with Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave, but knows how tomorrow night’s $100,000 Ballarat Cup is run could dictate his chances.

The five-year-old is first-up since winning the Breeders Crown 4YO final at Melton on November 18, which was his 19^th win from just 30 starts.

“Even though it was a late decision to run, I’m glad we are,” Gath said. “It wasn’t just the times he ran in the (Melton) trial Monday, but the way he ran past two quality horses and hit the line.

The final countdown is underway.

Champion driver Chris Alford moved to within 10 wins of an amazing and historic 8000 career wins with victory on Good Heart in the final race at Cranbourne last night.

Queensland sensation Leap To Fame will be a better horse in the Hunter Cup than he was when he last raced at Melton in the Victoria Cup about four months ago.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon admits his stable star wasn’t “as tight and race hardened” as he probably needed to be for the Victoria Cup.

“That said, the way the race panned out didn’t suit him, either,” he said.

New Zealand's best pacer Akuta won't tackle Saturday week's $100,000 Ballarat Cup.

But champion trainer Mark Purdon confirmed he and son, Nathan, were still focused on chasing Victorian riches with pacing stars Akuta and exciting young stablemate Don’t Stop Dreaming.

It will be quite nostalgic when two of Mark Purdon’s big guns arrive in Melbourne next week.

While Purdon’s return to Melbourne for the first time in four years is a coup for Harness Racing Victoria and harness fans, the champion trainer admits he himself is as excited as anybody.

For all of Purdon’s success in NZ and through many parts of Australia, he looks back on his early days as a trainer and many successful trips to Melbourne as some of the most enjoyable times of his stellar career.

Victoria will be the big winner in the wash-up from an epic Brisbane Inter Dominion Grand Final night.

Not only did our own champion Just Believe arrogantly complete another clean sweep of the trotting series, but it’s close to a lock pacing hero Leap To Fame will join Just Believe to propel the February 3 Hunter Cup meeting to the next level.

Never have barrier draws been more important.

Yes, we have heard it all before, how the marbles fall today (Monday) for the Inter Dominion pacing and trotting finals is critical, albeit in slightly different ways for the two races.

The Inter Dominion has a rich history of fairytale stories and Plymouth Chubb has the makings of being that horse in Brisbane.

The former champion juvenile, who has been sidelined with two significant injury setbacks, delivered one of the biggest upsets and most exciting wins of opening night at Albion Park last Friday.

The Breeders Crown needs an overhaul.

As a purist, the stars in action and the racing was great at Melton last Saturday night, but there is no disputing the once great event is nowhere near what it used to be.