Racing is a cruel game at times.

Just when we were starting to get seriously excited about Extreme Sea, injury strikes and halts his 10-start career.

Spare a thought for veteran Goulburn horseman David Hewitt, who bred, owns, trains and drives the four-year-old.

He was just a couple of months away from having one of the biggest chances in the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka.

Now he’ll be watching Menangle on September 7 – if he can muster the strength – and wondering what might have been.

It is especially unfair when you consider the other top pacer Hewitt had back in the mid to late 1990s, Red Sea, was plagued by injury and retired a real “what might have been" story. He won 21 of his 24 starts, but was cut down in his prime.

Out of extreme disappointment comes opportunity, especially for some exciting young Victorian pacers.

Five of the 10 in the latest TAB Eureka Power Rankings are Victorians. They are: The Lost Storm (three), Petracca (four), High Above (five), Captain Hammerhead (six) and Perfect Class (10).

It was great to see Captain Hammerhead return to his best with a narrow but terrific Melton win last Saturday night.

The time and way he won was top notch and will surely see him head north for the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park on Saturday week, especially with Extreme Sea out of the race.

And Captain Hammerhead, who only ran ninth as a three-year-old in last year’s TAB Eureka, will be right on the radar for the remaining slot owners for this year’s race.

Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin, who won last year’s Eureka with Encipher, have four of the top 10.

But getting a line on them is difficult.

It will be great to see the likes of The Lost Storm, Petracca and High Above race in coming weeks.

The Lost Storm and Perfect Class are expected to head north for the Rising Sun.

Petracca and High Above will stay home and have their TAB Eureka build-up in Victoria.

The Queensland-owned and Jason Grimson-trained Frankie Ferocious is a commanding favourite for the Rising Sun and TAB Eureka.

That’s fair based on his Chariots Of Fire win and terrific fourth in the Miracle Mile last campaign, combined with sparkling recent trials at Menangle and Albion Park.

Much interest will be in his racetrack return at Albion Park on Saturday night where the handicapping system gives him the luxury of contesting a restricted class race.

Extreme Sea’s absence also puts the spotlight on top young WA pacer Never Ending, who is just weeks away from returning to racing at Gloucester Park for trainer Justin Prentice.

Despite her obvious talent and unbeaten record, you won't see superstar Victorian three-year-old filly Very Pretty tackle the TAB Eureka.

"No, she's got the Queensland Oaks and then some targets back in Victoria. There's no way she'll run in the Eureka," owner-breeder Peter Gleeson said.