Victorian harness racing’s pride has been restored.

Back on March 25, I penned a “Forum” column about a disturbing fact for the passionate Victorian industry and some almost immediate opportunities which existed to address it.

Just a few weeks early, at Menangle on March 9, the $1mil Miracle Mile was run without a Victorian-trained contestant.

Sure, this is a cyclical game, but to think not one of the eight runners in Australasia’s premier speed test came from Victoria should and did spark alarm.

Champion Aussie trotter Just Believe’s huge week looks set to continue in Auckland on Friday night.

Earlier this week, Just Believe added to his already bulging CV by being crowned the 2023 Australian Trotter of the Year.

The buzz time Australian harness racing is enjoying was underlined by champions Leap To Fame and Just Believe fighting-out 2023 Australian Harness Horse of the Year honours.

It was Queensland pacing sensation Leap To Fame who prevailed with almost 70 percent of votes ahead of globetrotting square-gaiter Just Believe with almost 22 percent.

IT was a win "written in the stars" in the stars as the man who made it possible watched from the intensive care unit in hospital after open-heart surgery.

That's just part of the emotion and theatre behind Victorian raider Catch A Wave's win in Australia's second-richest race, the $A1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Perth's Gloucester Park.

THE epic $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor left us wanting a rematch, and it's coming in just a few days.

Most of the key players from last Friday night's memorable Gloucester Park stoush, headed by winner Catch A Wave, will return to battle again in this Friday's $300,000 Group 1 Fremantle Cup.

Let's enjoy these last few months of champion mare Ladies In Red.

To the credit of owner-breeders Bill and Anne Anderson, Ladies In Red has raced on much longer than many expected given her broodmare value and overcome her share of injuries, setbacks and adversity along the way.

Brillant Victorian raider Catch A Wave gave superstar driver Kate Gath the most satisfying win of her stellar career in tonight's $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park.

And the five-year-old gelding, who had already won a Miracle Mile, smashed through the $2 million prize money barrier in the process.

The curtain is starting to come down on champion mare Ladies In Red’s glorious career, but she’s still got some Group 1 hunting to do.

Andy Gath is a lot more confident of winning the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor than he was when he left home almost a week ago with stable star Catch A Wave.

The former Miracle Mile winner and millionaire pacer showed he was right on target for Australia's second-richest race on Friday night when he opened his WA raid with a terrific fourth from a back-row draw at Gloucester Park last Friday.

Now is the time for Victoria to double down. Trotting, as opposed to pacing, is Victoria’s point of difference and never has the climate been better to really drive that home.

Decades of sustained support, often against strong headwinds of negativity, have been rewarded for trotting in Victoria.

Champion trotter Just Believe headlines a team of five star Victorian horses chasing glory at New Zealand's richest ever harness meeting on Friday night.

Victoria's four best trotters – Just Believe, Callmethebreeze, Arcee Phoenix and Queen Elida – will tackle the inaugural $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Raceway, while Just Believe's multiple Group 1-winning stablemate Better Eclipse will give trainer Jess Tubbs and driver Greg Sugars the chance for a unique double in the $NZ1m The Race by Grins.

Champion driver Chris Alford has warned punters to drop off star trotting mare Queen Elida at their own peril.

Alford, who recently topped an Australasian record 8000 career wins, says Queen Elida is as good as any trotter he’s driven and getting back close to her very best just in time for Friday night’s stellar inaugural $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge.

With an epic TAB Trot just days away in Cambridge, it seems perfect timing to start the debate over the best 10 trotters Australasia has seen since 2000.

Gifted Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo is out of the $NZ1mil Race By Grins.

But there is a silver lining to the heartbreak for owner Brendan James, trainer Mick Stanley and caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety.

A hoof abscess threatens to derail star Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo’s quest to win tomorrow week’s $NZ1mil Race By Grins at Cambridge,

Caretaker trainer Cran Dalgety had to scratch the former Victoria Cup winner from tonight’s $NZ60,000 Flying Stakes at Cambridge when he was “quite lame” this morning.

Redemption time starts on Thursday night for star Victorian pacer Rock N Roll Doo.

Owner Brendan James will be hoping it is third time lucky as far as chasing major NZ races goes.

Rock N Roll Doo had an unsuccessful NZ Cup campaign in late 2022 and then landed the "Aussie Lads" slot in last year's Race By Grins before health issues and form slump saw his trip aborted.

Victoria has a genuine chance of winning three major slot races in coming weeks.

With some of our “raiders” set to step-out in foreign territory later this week and others booked on flights out of town, it’s time to rate the seven stars flying the Victorian flag.

Trainer Jess Tubbs is looking at Melton's Saturday night meeting as the calm before the storm with her two stable stars.

It's the final "warm-up" before the Myrniong-based Tubbs and husband, Greg Sugars, embark on their third international racing raid in the past 12 months.