It was a night to remember friends lost, marvel at the equine and human stars and enjoy the atmosphere of an absolutely packed house at Melton.

Vicbred finals night had it all.

THE four-year-old entires and geldings final promises to be the highlight of an epic Vicbred finals night on New Year’s Eve.

When you combine this year’s field with the honour roll of the race, you get the picture.

Australia's pacing queen is coming back.

The good thing about a December Inter Dominion final is that it’s just the start of the feature racing splurge.

One of the many great angles of this Inter Dominion pacing final is the collective stories of the drivers on the three favourites.

Inter Dominions cannot be won on opening night, but this year’s first round of qualifiers could shape the series.

Two of the biggest questions of this Inter Dominion were answered – at least in part – at Ballarat last Saturday night.

There is no greater test in Australasian racing: four races across 15 days, varying distances and, this year, at four different venues.

It’s not for every horse, but it’s why those who have conquered it carve out a unique place in racing folklore.

This is a week to savor for Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars.

As we head into another Inter Dominion, they are the story of the series.

The SENTrack Inter Dominion officially launched yesterday so it’s the ideal time to rate my top chances in both the pacing and trotting divisions.

While the quality may not be elite in either division, I cannot recall a time when there were so many queries and so much uncertainty about who will win both finals.

The Australian raiders have made this New Zealand Cup.

While we justifiably bemoan the lack of depth in our top open class ranks, gee the future looks bright.

IT is time to give the Inter Dominion some tough love.

This year’s series is just weeks away and us diehards cannot wait. The racing will be spirited, the stories will flow and the history of the sport’s most iconic event will carry it a long way.

TWO huge races are buzzing around in my head at the moment.

Well, it's actually four races, but only two of them are harness races. The others at this time of year are, of course, the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup.

New sensation Rock N Roll Doo is set to bypass the Inter Dominion.

Trainer-driver Mick Stanley and owner Brendan James decided several weeks back if their young gun went to the NZ Cup, they wouldn’t tackle the Inter Dominion as well.

And not even his stunning, almost arrogant, Victoria Cup win last Saturday night seems to have changed that.

FOR a moment I thought I was watching Ride High.

A couple of months ago, while asking Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin for the latest on Ladies In Red, they both told me about a three-year-old they had who would be a “huge Victoria Derby player".

The Aussie influence on the famed New Zealand Cup has been huge in recent years, but Michael Stanley wants to take it to another level.

The build-up to this Victoria Cup is like the AFL finals – evolving dramatically week-by-week.

The latest twists came last Saturday night in the free-for-all at both Melton and, to a lesser extent, Menangle.

THE young guns are circling for this Inter Dominion trotting series.

While top flight Kiwi trotter Bolt For Brilliance will come across at the peak of his powers and clearly be the horse to beat, it's a group of young Aussie trotters who loom as his biggest threat.