It's pretty cool to have the world’s richest harness race here in Australia.

And even more exciting to think Victorians are the backbone with half the field – five of the 10 runners – in Saturday night’s $2.1mil TAB Eureka.

I’ll dissect them soon, but first, some more about the race itself.

Born in April last year, the TAB Eureka was created to give Australia a new iconic harness race which sparks interest and PR beyond the traditional followers.

Tick.

Just as importantly, the burning desire was for it to capture the whole country, bring everybody together and draw widespread involvement.

It’s certainly done that with all Aussie harness states represented on some level and passionately following the race.

Sure, Victoria leads the way with five runners trained in the state and one slot holder being Team Zav (Danny and Jo Zavitsanos).

NSW is locked-in to host the first three runnings of the TAB Eureka. It also boasts two runners and three (maybe four if you count TAB) slot holders are based in the state.

Then there is Queensland with two slot holders and two runners.

Tasmanian has a slot (Tasracing) and through that a runner in the Rattray clan’s Magician.

WA’s involvement comes through leviathan owner Rob Watson and his Soho Standardbreds slot, filled by the NSW-trained My Ultimate Ronnie.

And it’s fantastic to see the largely SA-slot holder Aaron Bain Racing and Summit Bloodstock ramping up the local flavour with the SA owned-and-bred mare Encipher.

Since markets were first opened for the TAB Eureka we’ve had three favourites. Firstly Captain Ravishing, then Catch A Wave and now Leap To Fame, who is as short as $1.60 in some markets, but what odds he starts will depend very much on Wednesday’s barrier draw reveal at 9am.

Much the same can be said for Victoria’s “top seed” Catch A Wave.

The Chariots Of Fire and Miracle Mile winner can’t start from any closer than four because the two three-year-olds (The Lost Storm and Captain Hammerhead) will begin from one and two, and Encipher will commence from gate three.

But a draw close-in, combined with Catch A Wave’s renowned gate speed, will really help his cause and almost certainly see him start shorter than the $4 on offer now.

Sure, the draw will be very important, but here’s my take on the Victorian hopefuls before the marbles drop.

CATCH A WAVE

Trainer: Andy Gath

Driver: Kate Gath

Slot owner: Cordina Racing

Hamilton says: Clearly our best hope, especially with a decent draw. We’ve seen enough of this guy now to know he peaks when it matters. And, importantly, Andy and Kate Gath are adamant he’s bigger and stronger than when he won the Chariots/Miracle Mile double at Menangle earlier this year. That’s vital because if there is a query, it has to be whether he will run a really strong 2400m. He’s bred to be very fast and he is. He’s a genuine star, but can he stay? One below par run in a 2760m heat of a Victoria Derby is not enough to cast judgement. So, it remains a query. At times, he can over race. Can Kate Gath afford to “light him up” to lead with the risk of him getting fired-up over an unproven trip? Andy Gath has so much feature race experience and is one of the best at priming his horses when it matters.

THE LOST STORM

Trainer: Emma Stewart

Driver: Mark Pitt

Slot owner: TAB

Hamilton says: As soon as the TAB Eureka was launched, many queried whether a three-year-old could beat the best four-year-olds. Here’s a few things to consider on that front. Under the old racing calendar, The Lost Storm would actually be four when this race is run. Then there is Queensland’s Rising Sun, another race restricted to just three and four-year-olds. Rocknroll Hammer ran second in that race about seven weeks ago to Leap To Fame. And Rocknroll Hammer isn’t a patch on The Lost Storm. He’s got a barrier draw within a draw. Getting gate one ahead of the other three-year-old, Captain Hammerhead, would make a big difference. The marker pegs could be paved with gold in this race. He’s fast, he’s proven at the distance and he’s from the best barn in the land.

ENCIPHER

Trainers: Emma Stewart

Driver: Luke McCarthy

Slot owner: Aaron Bain Racing & Summit Bloodstock

Hamilton says: What a wonderful mare she is. It would’ve been a travesty had she not gained a run, which looked likely for so long. When you’ve got Emma Stewart, Clayton Tonkin and Kate Gath singing your praises, people should listen. And Aaron Bain and his mates at Summit Bloodstock eventually did. Right on cue, and as predicted by the likes of Stewart and Gath, Encipher emphatically stamped her class by beating some serious, Grand Circuit-proven “boys” in last Saturday week’s Westburn Grant free-for-all at Melton. Purely on CVs, she is the third best-performed pacer in the race. She’s also proven (and will actually relish) a tough 2400m. And she won’t lose anything with local champ Luke McCarthy replacing Gath (who has to drive Catch A Wave) in the sulky.

CAPTAIN RAVISHING

Trainer: Ahmed Taiba

Driver: Greg Sugars

Slot owner: Team Zav

Hamilton says: Where do we start? The long-time TAB Eureka favourite is the X-factor or maybe even the enigma of the race. We know how good this guy is when he’s at his top, but this build-up has been daring, fascinating and a roller-coaster to say the least. Hopefully he’s on song, but we are really just guessing. We haven’t seen anything publicly to say he could produce the sort of form he showed winning the Breeders Crown final late last year or the 4YO Bonanza earlier this year. Ahmed Taiba deserves legend status if he can win this sort of race first-up from a six-month break over 2400m at Menangle.

CAPTAIN HAMMERHEAD

Trainer-driver: David Moran

Slot owner: John Singleton

Hamilton says: Love this guy and it’s great he’s gone to another level at just the right time. But, you feel he’s still got another level to go to as he keeps developing. A brilliant Moran drive to easily beat much easier opposition in “The Singo” helped land his spot in this field. We know he has to draw well as a three-year-old and he can follow any pace, but the bar goes up not just one but two levels this time. His future looks bright and he might be able to sneak third spot if everything went right.

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.