The second rankings for the WATPAC Inter Dominion Championship were released on Wednesday with Highview Tommy, Tanabi Bromac and Scotty Mach gaining the highest lifts.

Highview Tommy moves from ranking 45 to 27 on the basis of its win in the Summer Cup in Aukland defeating the likes of Changeover (9).

Tanabi Bromac finished second in the Barastoc Grand Circuit Wrest Point Tasmania Cup behind Bettors Strike (4) and moved to ranking 22, whilst the lowly ranked Scotty Mach (78) won a $20 000 event in Auckland to move to 63.

Ohoka Dallas moved into the top 40 ranked pacers at 33 also off the back of its recent New Zealand performances against other higher ranked Inter Dominion aspirants.

Highly ranked Bold Cruiser and the former star Sting Lika Bee have already been withdrawn by the respective connections from the Championship.

Connections have until 12 noon on Monday 11^th January to withdraw from the WATPAC Inter Dominion with no Acceptance Fee penalty incurred.

Introduced by Harness Racing Australia, the new laws mean that a driver must have a rein in each hand at all times, and only a flicking motion of the whip itself is allowed.

The new rules mean that many of the country’s harness racing champions, who have been driven in aggressively throughout their entire careers, now face early retirement if they are unable to perform at their best and adjust to the new style of driving the laws require.

One example is the Barry Lew-trained Karloo Mick, the nine-year-old securing his 50^th career win last Sunday in the Young Services Club Cup. The son of Panorama has won over $1million in stakes and is being considered for this year’s illustrious Inter Dominion, however Lew has expressed concerns over the superstar’s ability to race in top form under the new laws. Lew has warned the gelding will be retired if he fails to live up to his legacy in his upcoming starts, which are likely to include the Frank and Edna Day Memorial at Goulburn on January 14.

The Cran Dalgety-trained Bettors Strike has displayed striking form recently, claiming a sensational victory in the Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup ahead of a top-class field last week just after running a controversial dead-heat for first in the Group 2 Deacon Cranbourne Cup.

The five-year-old gelding is now vying for back-to-back success in the Barastoc Grand Circuit, Australasia’s premier harness racing series.

Hobart’s Tasmania Cup will be the eighth event in the 15-race series, and Bettors Strike currently sits on second place with seven points following his first place in the Victoria Cup and second place in the NZ Cup. The NZ Cup winner Monkey King is still in the lead with fifteen points, despite only placing fourth in the Victoria Cup last Friday.

Following his run in Tasmania, Bettors Strike will then begin preparation for the next big pacing feature, the $400 000 Group 1 BIG6 Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley on February 6. The race will be the final harness meeting held on a Saturday night at the Moonee Valley venue.

Trainer Gary Hall has entered a record five horses in the event, Alzona (1), Dartmoor (3), Ohoka Rebel (5), Im Themightyquinn (8) and Indian Giver (9), with Hall naming five-year-old Im Themightyquinn the one to beat despite his disappointing eight length defeat at trial last weekend.

The Emma Stewart-trained Bonavista Bay, winner of last week’s Golden Nugget, will start from barrier seven. If successful on Friday night, the four-year-old will be the first Golden Nugget champion to win the Fremantle Cup.

Stewart is the second female trainer to have a runner entered in the Fremantle Cup on Friday. The other is Skye Bond, making history by pairing up with her husband and fellow trainer Greg who also has horses in the race. They are the first husband and wife to each have runners starting in the same Fremantle Cup.

Skye has entered Mister Veejays Fella, coming off a win at the track last week, due to start from barrier four.

The Fremantle Cup is scheduled as race six at Gloucester Park on Friday night and is due to start at 8:35 pm (WA time).

2009 Group 1 Stallion Station Fremantle Pacing Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Although the autopsy was inconclusive, Saab’s owner Terry Ferguson advised that the horse’s death may have been caused by a brain embolism.

The 15 year old was leased to Mick Lombardo and had remained at Concorde Park during his stud years.

With the largest crop of 54 foals from Saab’s first six stud seasons, Ferguson will be selling a number of the horse’s progeny at next year’s WA Yearling Sale.

Ferguson raced Saab in partnership with trainer Ross Olivieri who led the horse to 21 career wins and took home $577,197 in stakes.

Before retiring in December 2001, Saab managed to win several prominent races in the harness racing industry including the Group One Golden Slipper Stakes as a two year old, the WA Derby as a three year old and the Golden Nugget and WA Pacing Cup as a four year old.

Saab remains the only horse to win both the Golden Nugget and the WA Pacing Cup as a four year old and he was also only one of two Golden Nugget winners to be sired by a previous Golden Nugget winner with sire Classic Garry winning the race in 1983.

His best win is undeniably the WA Pacing Cup after Gloucester Park was hit by a storm and almost flooded the entire track.

Saab copped barrier nine and came out from last place in the last lap to beat NSW champion Our Sir Vancelot in terrible racing conditions.

During his stud days, Saab managed to sire a total of 52 winners and his success in producing winning foals is expected to continue despite his death.