SHOULD we build on the magic and difference of the What The Hill Great Southern Star and create a pacing equivalent?

It’s not unchartered waters, we’ve had one before with the defunct El Dorado series and one of North America’s most iconic races, the Little Brown Jug, is a heat and final series on the same day at Delaware, Ohio.

What’s so great about the Great Southern Star is how the need to race twice on the same night both showcases what remarkable athletes standardbreds are. It gives a point of difference, which sparks intrigue and interest outside of the harness racing bubble. And that’s vital as we strive to build on the positive momentum around the sport right now.

Just tossing this one up … do we look at changing our second biggest race, the Victoria Cup, to a heat and final on the same night concept?

Maybe it should stand alone in its current format, but, then again, it’s become remarkably similar to the Del-Re National A. G. Hunter Cup, almost living in its shadow now.

Yes, this is where many will argue “bring back the standing start” for the Hunter Cup and that will give you the desired point of difference. But that isn’t going to happen, at least not in the immediate future, so do we consider a radical change-up for the Victoria Cup?

Andy Gath might be a bit biased after winning four of the past six Great Southern Stars, but when asked about creating a pacing equivalent, he said: “Yes, I think we should look at it. It would also give more horses a chance of getting into a race like the Victoria Cup, with two heats of eight horses.

“I really didn’t know how Majestuoso would handle the two runs in a night going into, but that just makes it more exciting and more rewarding to win it.”

Majestuoso is likely to back-up in Saturday night’s Group 1 Aldebaran Park The Knight Pistol before finishing this campaign in the Group 1 TAB Australian Trotting Grand Prix two weeks after that.

“Ideally, we’d probably miss this week, but with a $50,000 bonus for the most points in the Aurora Australis we really have to go again this week. It’s probably between us and Im Ready Jet at this stage,” Gath said.

KING Of Swing’s place in harness history could still be redefined in the closing chapter of his stellar career.

You cannot argue with his greatness. He’s the only pacer in history to win a pair of Hunter Cups and two Miracle Mile.

And he’s been a star since winning a Breeders Crown final at two and a WA Derby at three.

But adding a third Miracle Mile and being the first pacer to do so would elevate him to genuine legend status.

There’s no doubt his stocks took a bit of a blow when, partly through bad luck and tricky barrier draws, he was beaten in races like the Hunter Cup, Sunshine Sprint, Blacks A Fake and Inter Dominion final last year.

But 'The King' has started 2022, his final year of racing, in the best possible fashion with his second Hunter Cup win from three attempts.

Sure, it was a pedestrian race and he took full advantage of the pole draw to lead, dictate and win, but he did win and with authority.

Now he heads back to chase a third Miracle Mile in his domain.

Remember, King Of Swing has raced 10 times over a mile at Menangle for 10 wins, four of them at Group 1 level and twice in Miracle Miles.

And despite what some may have queried, co-trainer and driver Luke McCarthy has no doubts King Of Swing is “at least as good as ever".

“He’s not retiring (later this year) because he’s past his best, it’s because he’s so valuable at stud,” he said. “Everything about him tells us he’s at least as good as ever.”

COULD Wildwest be the next King Of Swing?

As part of a plan driven by his trainer Gary Hall Sr – who suggested the same with King Of Swing – Wildwest heads to Team McCarthy’s Cobbitty Equine stables this week to continue his career.

It comes hot off his monstrous upset win as a $91 shot in WA’s biggest race, the $450,000 Group 1 WA Pacing Cup, last Friday night.

“He’s always had fantastic ability, but he doesn’t like Gloucester Park unless on the marker pegs,” Hall Sr said. “I’ve always thought he’d be ideal to send to Luke and Belinda because he’d love the big (1400m) Menangle track.”

Driver Stuart McDonald, who used to work for Hall and spent plenty of time with Wildwest, gave a wonderful insight into the pacer.

“He has the potential to do what King Of Swing has done. Big statement I know, but the horse has insane ability … He’s a 1min48sec horse easily when right, very high cruising speed type of horse. The big track will be his go, 100 per cent,” he said.

The McCarthys won’t have long to assess Wildwest with the qualifying sprints for the Miracle Mile on February 26 and the $1 million Mile itself a week later.

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.