Blacks A Fake ($3.70), trained and driven by Natalie Rasmussen, defeated the $2.20 favourite Monkey King by 2.7m with the Lance Justice’s Smoken Up ($25.50) a further 3.2m back in third.

The impressive Fake Left gelding has now won 61 of his 82 career starts, with the lucrative $500, 000 first prize for Saturday’s win elevating his total prizmoney earned to an imposing $4, 179, 693. Blacks A Fake is hands down the richest Australian pacer in history.

Blacks A Fake has competed in five Inter Dominions over his dazzling career, narrowly missing out on a perfect record in the prestigious event when he ran a gallant second to Mr Feelgood last year.

This year Mr Feelgood went out as a $17.20 chance but failed to fire after being restrained at the start of the race, finishing a dismal second last in ninth.

The unprecedented number of Inter Dominion wins wasn’t the only record Blacks A Fake broke on Sunday, he also ran a world time record for 2300m after posting a scintillating gross time of 2:42.6 for a mile rate of 1:53.8.

Click here for the official HRNSW media release on Blacks A Fake’s sensational 2010 Inter Dominion win including details on how the race went down.

Also held at Menangle on Sunday was the $60, 000 Inter Dominion Consolation where Lance Justice’s Live or Die gelding Our Malabar ($7.10) claimed a close half-neck victory ahead of another pacer from the Natalie Rasmussen stable, Western Cam ($3.70). The warm pre-race favourite Sammy Maguire ($2.70) was a further 5.5m back for third.

The other great group pacing feature held over the weekend was the $30, 000 Group 3 Bullock Consulting Devonport Cup. The testing 3020m standing start event was won by five-year-old Panorama gelding Sky Tower in a surprise victory that saw the $1.90 favourite Our Sir Jeckyl finish well back in eight.

2010 Inter Dominion Results:

Champion Blacks A Fake can now lay claim to being the best pacer of all time following his historic victory in the $1million Watpac Inter Dominion Grand Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Sunday afternoon.

Winning an unprecedented fourth Inter Dominion, Blacks A Fake did it the hard way by racing three-wide for the last 800 metres.

Washakie led from the pole for trainer-driver John McCarthy while Bondy (barrier eight) and Smoken Up (10) also showed speed and took up the one-one and spot outside the leader respectively.

The lead time was run in 48.0 and the first half in a quick 58.5 (30.0, 28.5).

Our Awesome Armbro sat behind the frontrunner while Atomic Ark, a stablemate of Blacks A Fake, was three-pegs with Blackie one-out two-back just in front of race favourite Monkey King with a lap to travel.

Changeover, Baileys Dream and Mr Feelgood bought up the tail with 800 metres to go.

Trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen put Blacks A Fake into the race with a half remaining, coming three-wide without cover with Ricky May (Monkey King) quickly seizing the chance to snare the trail.

With the third quarter in 28.3, the field packed up turning for home, with Washakie just in front of Smoken Up and Blacks A Fake looming up to them strongly.

Releasing the brakes on the nine-year-old, the son of Fake Left quickly pounced on the leaders and despite being challenged by Monkey King, produced his customary fight to hold his rival at the finish.

Smoke Up fought on gallantly to hold third, just in front of Changeover, who flashed home, with Bondy finishing fifth.

The final quarter of 27.9 produced a sensational 1:53.8 mile rate – a world record! The victory also saw Blacks A Fake become the richest standardbred of all time, with earnings of $4, 179, 693.

“What can I say? He is a sensational horse, I love him,” a delighted Rasmussen said after the event.

Defending champion driver Anthony Butt says one of his greatest foes could become his secret weapon as he defends his Inter Dominion title with Mr Feelgood on Sunday.

Last year’s winners on the Gold Coast heads into the $1 million WATPAC final at Tabcorp Park, Menangle, facing another potentially horror draw at barrier nine.

That is nothing new for Mr Feelgood, who was written off by many after drawing the second line draw last year, only for Butt to produce an inch-perfect drive to deny Blacks A Fake his Interdom fourth title on end.

Butt knows he will need the cards to fall his way on Sunday if he is to repeat last year’s victory but he believes he and Mr Feelgood have allies – in long-time rivals Lance Justice and Smoken Up.

Smoken Up has drawn barrier 10 and like Mr Feelgood may have little option but to retreat at the start of the 2300m event and attack later.

“If Lance does that, and I am thinking he probably will, then we might get a cart into the race on his back,” says Butt.

“And that would be a good place to be. I think there could be a fair bit of speed early, with Washakie eventually holding the lead.

“So there isn’t much point most of us out wide getting involved early when we can make one long move mid-race.

“If that happens then I think the race might be a bit more even then people think and we have a show.”

Butt was thrilled with how Mr Feelgood fought on for second after setting up a track record for Blacks A Fake at Newcastle last Saturday night.

“That is not the ideal way to drive him but I knew I needed points to make the final so we couldn’t afford to be unlucky.

“But he actually fought on really well and he is racing as good now as when he won the final last season.

“We just have to hope for the same type of mid-race pressure.”

Butt rates Monkey King the horse to beat on Sunday but says the gap between the favourites and the outsiders is smaller than many people realise.

“What about a horse like Our Awesome Armbro? He could be doing no work in the trail and that is a huge advantage at this level.

“I think the great thing about this year’s final is the horses are all going in there in form and there won’t be drivers going out there thinking they have no hope.

“So it should be a beauty. While Monkey King is the horse to beat but when you look back to his Miracle Mile win in November he had the perfect run and only just got there.

“That proves how tough it is to win these big races.”

Mr Feelgood has come in for some support at long odds since Monday night’s barrier draw, as has Hunter Cup winner Bondy.

That has seen Monkey King out to $2.50 with TAB Sportsbet while Washakie has drifted from $3.80 to $4.

The final of the $1 million WATPAC Inter Dominion for 2010 will be run at 5pm Sunday March 7.

The clear pre-race favourite currently at odds of $2.25 with SportsBet is Monkey King. The stunning son of Sands A Flyin is coming off a string of sensational successes lately. The seven-year-old New Zealander has won his past three races in succession including his brilliant last-start victory in his Inter Dominion heat last Saturday.

Monkey King is due to be driven by big race specialist Ricky May on Sunday and will start from barrier six.

The big winner from the Inter Dominion barrier draw was the John McCarthy-trained Washakie who secured the prized inside barrier. Washakie blew away his rivals last week in the opening heat, defeating the warm favourite Smoken Up by nearly two lengths.

A six-year-old Badlands Hanover gelding, Washakie will have McCarthy behind the reins for his Inter Dominion berth and is currently the third favourite for the final at $4.60.

The second elect for the 2010 Inter Dominion Championship at $4.00 is the dazzlingly consistent Natalie Rasmussen trained and driven Fake Left gelding Blacks A Fake. Blacks A Fake has also drawn extremely well for Sunday’s feature with barrier three.

Other top contenders for the WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Grand Final are Our Awesome Armbro (Br. 2), Baileys Dream (Br.6), Bondy (Br.8) and Lance Justice’s Victorian hopeful Smoken Up drawn wide in the far outside barrier ten.

Sunday will be the third Inter Dominion Final in a row for Smoken Up and the son of Tinted Cloud will have his work cut out if he is to improve on his third and ninth place finishes.

The line-up at Menangle’s Harold Park this Sunday afternoon is incredible and features nine other major harness events including the $25, 000 TAB BIG6 Cup (Race 4 – 2:35pm), WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Consolation (Race 7 – 4:22pm) and a number of other top-class finals.

The big event of the evening, the Inter Dominion Championship Final will run as race eight at 5:00pm.

The other feature pacing event to watch over the weekend is the $30, 000 Group 3 Bullock Consulting Devonport Cup in Devonport on Sunday night – race seven at 7:50pm.

WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Grand Final Field & Barrier Draw:

A Dominant heat win on Saturday night and now the perfect inside draw has seen Washakie shorten dramatically for this Saturday night’s Inter Dominion Final with leading on-line bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au.

The star New Zealander firmed from $6.00 in to $4.60 with sentimental favourite Blacks A Fake also firming from $4.20 to $4.00 after drawing barrier three.

“Washakie has the gate speed to hold the front if challenged by Blacks A Fake, that’s why we are still betting $4.00 for ‘Blackie’. I think he’ll have to do too much work,” said Sportsbet.com.au’s Matthew Campbell.

Race favourite Monkey King drifted slightly from $2.10 to $2.30 after drawing barrier five.

“Ricky May might take a peak at leading but I think with the speed on he will take a position in behind and still be the one to beat,” said Campbell.

2010 Inter Dominion – Final Field & Odds

All markets courtesy of SportsBet. Prices are subject to fluctuation.
For more information please contact:
Matthew Campbell
Ph: 0404 499 555

Four $40, 000 heats for the prestigious series will run and feature star-studded fields packed full of the nation’s most impressive and elite pacers.

All the big names will be there with Heat 1 looking to be the event of the night featuring I Am Sam drawn well in barrier one; the super consistent Karloo Mick in barrier three; in-form pacer Changeover in barrier six aiming for their fourth win from six starts; and the brilliant American-bred colt Mr Feelgood out wide in gate ten.

The second heat will be another hotly contested affair with the Natalie Rasmussen trained and driven star Blacks A Fake in barrier four coming off three successive wins; the Gavin Lang’s classy Sammy Maguire in barrier seven; and the prolific Lance Justice trained Smoken Up in the back row barrier eight.

Heat three sees the fantastic New Zealand pacer Monkey King (br.4) come up against the likes of Cincinnati Kid (br.5) and Tanabi Bromac (br.6) in a top class front row full of in-form runners in for a real chance not only in this heat but the series overall.

Finishing off with Heat 4, punters have another thrilling matchup on their hands with John McCarthy’s Washakie in barrier seven, the consistently good Bondy drawn well in barrier two and other great pacers including Western Cam in barrier five fighting it out to qualify for the next round.

The 2010 Watpac Inter Dominion Championship heats will run as races 4 – 7 on the meeting’s fantastic nine race programme and will commence at 8:00pm (NSW time).