Today is New Zealand Trotting Cup day. A monster build-up in two countries culminates with a gruelling two miles to find out who is the champion stayer of Australasia.
The Cup, at 3.36pm ADST, has brought together an amazingly deep and competitive bunch of pacers.
The defending champion is here, Copy That.
The 2020 champ is here, the All Stars’ Self Assured - owned by Victorian Jean Feiss.
The Miracle Mile-winning comeback king, Spankem, is here.
We have up-and-coming Kiwis B D Joe, Kango, Akuta and Old Town Road, and we have the blowout chances like South Coast Arden, Heza Sport and Pembrook Playboy.
Then we have the Aussie duo - Majestic Cruiser and Rock N Roll Doo.
The Jason Crimson-trained Majestic Cruiser has been a revelation. The seven-year-old is a Grand Circuit performer and with the right trip, can definitely be there at the end of two miles.
Then, there’s the horse from Victoria.
The emerging four-year-old who sat parked and blew them to smithereens in the Pryde's EasiFeed Victoria Cup - Rock N Roll Doo.
His rise to the top ranks has been explosive - for everyone except his preparer.
Speaking to Mick Stanley before we nodded off last night, he told me how everyone had been telling him how amazed they were at the horse’s ascension to the top ranks.
For Mick, the rise had been many slow and patient, months in the making.
"I’ve been telling everyone this could be the best horse I’ve trained and for a few months I was not sure he would back me up on my words," he said.
The Paleface Adios victory was his coming out party, sitting parked in the pouring rain and annihilating a brilliant field.
Then, in September, he went around at 30/1 in the Group 1 VHRC Caduceus Classic. And at 30/1 he blew them away.
He jogged to the line, ear plugs still in with a five-metre margin up his sleeve. He broke the Melton clock that night but it was just a sign of things to come.
Thirteen days later the prestigious Kilmore Cup was on the agenda.
Mick says that may have been the race where everyone else realised what he had believed for more than a year - Rock N Roll Doo was the next one up!
In the Kilmore Cup, he was wide for a half lap but it mattered not as he thumped them by seven metres with a scintillating last 800m doing the damage.
But this son of Rock N Roll Heaven was not done.
Victoria’s biggest race was next.
With Expensive Ego, Honolua Bay, Better Eclipse (and others) engaged, this would be his biggest test.
Well, in high school terms his biggest exam landed him an A+, maybe an A++.
Stanley and his charge faced the breeze over 2240m, outside a potential champion in his own right in Expensive Ego, with a speed demon in Honolua Bay on his back, and hammered them into submission.
It was as big a run as we’ve seen in recent years.
I was on track to witness the win. When they went past the Tabcorp Park Melton winning post with one lap to go I was worried the horse would tire doing all the work with quality horses stalking him.
Mick saw things differently, "he felt so good I did not think I could get beaten".
"He was controlling the tempo outside Ego and gave me a massive kick when I asked him. We got home in 54.4 and he did all of the work."
That was a hat trick of mind-blowing performances.
Today, across the Tasman, he needs to produce another, but that’s what the champs do - when required, there’s always a new level they can go to.
Sure, labelling Rock N Roll Doo a champion might be premature but his connections are experienced harness racing people and they know a good horse when they see one.
Rock N Roll Doo is a good horse but he’s also a potential champion and today might be the day he stamps that for everyone.
SOMETHING FOR THE PUNTERS
R5 N7 Republican Party for Cran and Chrissie Dalgety looks a three-year-old with a big, big future.
Mick Stanley will get a look at the Addington Raceway in race six when he steers a competitive three-year-old in R6 N6 Invitation Only.
All Stars should strike in the Nevele R Fillies Final at Group 1 level with R7 N5 True Fantasy. Stable mate R7 N10 Queen of Diamonds looks the danger.
I cannot steer you into a winner in the two-year-old sires final but watching R9 N1 Sherlock, R9 N2 Don't Stop Dreaming and the unbeaten R9 N15 Merlin go at it will be superb viewing. We may see a few of these in Victoria in coming months and years.
In Race 11, the NZ Cup, you know who we’re with… big R11 N13 Hendo!
Enjoy Cup Day and for those reading, listening and watching from afar - update the bucket list and get yourselves to Addington for a NZ Cup. You will not be disappointed.