Three-year-old Courage To Rule ($11) defeated Lincoln Royal ($5.20) by 1.5m with star Queensland-trained pacer Lanercost ($10.20) a further 1.2m back in third.

Courage To Rule’s sire Courage Under Fire also won a Victoria Derby back in 1999.

Eventual runner-up, Lincoln Royal led going into the second quarter after running a mild paced first quarter of 31.0s.

The second quarter was run in 31.7s, just after which Lincoln Royal started to really pick up the pace leading by 4m ahead of the odds-on favourite Major Bronski ($4.10).

By this stage in the third quarter, Courage To Rule was still only sitting in fourth position behind Lanercost.

Major Bronski shortened the gap between him and Lincoln Royal to only 2m as the hectic 27.7s third quarter played out.

Lanercost then moved into the sprint lane while Courage To Rule made his move on the outside putting in a sensational chase over the final metres.

It was the three Kiwis fighting it out over the closing stages, Lanercost on the inside beside Lincoln Royal with Courage To Rule on the end.

But it was Courage To Rule who crossed the line first for his fifth win from 21 career starts, having now won over $287 000 in prizemoney.

In the end Major Bronski, who threatened the lead nearly all the way, lost pace and could only manage to finish fourth putting an end to his incredible nine-race winning streak.

The winner’s driver Greg Bennett was fined along with Lincoln Royal’s reinsman Maurice McKendry while Lanercost’s trainer-driver Darrel Graham was cautioned for his lack of control.

Meanwhile, the final ever harness race held at the Moonee Pond circuit was the $20 000 BIG6 Country Clubs Championship Final (2100m) won by Strident. The win gave prolific driver Gavin Lang his 1029^th win at the Moonee Valley track, the most of any reinsman.

2010 Alabar Victoria Derby Results:

Starting the race as the $5.10 favourite, Bondy beat home Karloo Mick ($9.40), who had a beautiful run on the inside, by 2.9m with the Gary Hall-trained Im Themightyquinn ($6.60) 1.7m back again for third.

In an impressive display of speed and stamina, Bondy led after 200m and held on to the front position throughout the entire race.

It wasn’t always an easy run, with lots of pressure to maintain the lead coming from both sides. Lance Justice’s Smoken Up ($5.70) sat three wide on the outside of Bondy before Victoria Cup winner Bettors Strike ($7.40) also moved up and the three sat alongside each other into the home straight.

In the final quarter the two pacers applying pressure tiered, with Smoken Up finishing seventh while Bettors Strike dropped right back to twelfth.

As the chasers faded, Karloo Mick, who had travelled well behind Bondy throughout held on gallantly for second while Im Themightyquinn moved up and through the weary field to finish third.

On the final turn the David Butt trained and driven winner had widened his lead to a commanding six metres, but Karloo Mick put in a gallant chase to shorten the eventual margin to just under 3 metres.

The winning Live Or Die gelding ran a solid mile rate of 2:01.7s over the challenging 3065m standing start event, for his 21^st win from 40 career starts. It was only his second start in Australia following his debut at Ballarat the previous week.

Bondy will now be aimed at the Watpac Inter Dominion Pacing Championship beginning on 19 February.

The other big pacing events on the night were the $200 000 Group 1 Alabar Victoria Derby won by Courage To Rule, and the fast finishing $30 000 Group 3 4YO Bonanza where Living On Fire ($7.10) claimed victory just half a head in front of Village Of Dreams ($8.20) with the Geoff Webster-trained favourite Mister Zion ($1.60) in third.

2010 BIG6 Hunter Cup Results:

In-form pacer For A Reason, trained and driven by Luke McCarthy, has drawn ideally with barrier two. The brilliant Art Major Colt has displayed first class style of late, winning his past four from five starts but placing second in the heats last week.

For A Reason is one of three top colts representing Queensland in the prestigious Victorian event on Saturday night after blitzing the heats, alongside Lanercost and Major Bronski.

The classy Queensland pacer Lanercost, who took out heat one at Maryborough in sensational style, had all the luck in the barrier draw for last week and has been allocated the second row barrier 9 for the final. The colt is aiming for their fourth successive victory and will be driven by trainer Darrel Graham, who has expressed how pleased the draw.

Barrier nine will allow Lanercost, a son of Courage Under Fire, to sit behind the likely pacesetter For A Reason and hopefully find a forward position early on.

Also drawing wide for the final is the ever consistent and impressive Stuart Hunter-trained Major Bronski with barrier 11. Another three-year-old from super sire Art Major, Major Bronski took out heat 2 last Friday night ahead of For A Reason, giving him his ninth consecutive victory.

The third heat winner to qualify for the final was Lincoln Royal who claimed an emphatic victory ahead of Chariot King by 7.5m.

Lincoln Royal has drawn barrier eight this Saturday and will have Maurice McKendry in the sulky while Chariot King has drawn far better in barrier three.

The Alabar Victoria Derby falls as the sixth race at the meeting and is due to jump at 8:32pm (VIC time).

2010 Alabar Victoria Derby Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Run over a testing 3065m this coveted standing start event has a capacity field of 14 elite pacers set to line up on the night and includes an abundance of big name players such as Mr Feelgood, Smoken Up, I Am Sam and Karloo Mick.

Trained and driven by Lance Justice, Smoken Up is one of the most experienced and formidable pacers in the final. The Tinted Cloud gelding is looking to return to winning form after three successive second placings but has been allocated a disappointing second-line draw with barrier 10.

The closest Smoken Up has come to a Hunter Cup victory was as runner-up by a mere half-head to Blacks A Fake two years back in 2008.

Victoria Cup victor Bettors Strike, despite drawing poorly with barrier 13, has been installed as the odds-on favourite for the race. Smoken Up occupies the next line of betting.

I Am Sam was runner up in the Hunter Cup last year and has drawn well with barrier four for this year.

But the big winner in the barrier draw was the Barry Lew-trained Karloo Mick, allocated the cherished barrier one.

Three of the best in-form pacers have all drawn poorly in the final. The John McCarthy-trained WA Pacing Cup winner Washakie is seeking out their fourth consecutive win but has a lot of work to do from barrier 14.

Mr Feelgood has suffered the most in the barrier allocations, drawing the far outside barrier 15.

Smart Victorian pacer Tanabi Bromack, trained by Keith Cotchin, is another last start winner who will race off the second row in the Hunter Cup.

Winner of the Shepparton Gold Cup last month and more recently victorious in the Horsham Pacing Cup, which earned them exemption for the Hunter Cup, Tanabi Bromack has drawn barrier 11.

Two other Group pacing events also highlight the cracker 10-race programme the $30 000 Group 3 4YO Bonanza (Race 2) followed by the other big one, the $200 000 Group 1 Alabar Victoria Derby Final (Race 6).

The BIG6 Hunter Cup will run at 9:30pm (VIC time) as race eight.

2010 BIG6 Hunter Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Going out at generous odds of $12.70, the winning In The Pocket colt beat home the warm favourite, Mr Feelgood ($3.20) by 1.2m with Karloo Mick ($5.40) finishing just a neck back in third.

It was a gallant run for the highly fancied Mr Feelgood as he worked hard to overcome his wide draw.

Pacesetter and eventual fourth placegetter, the Geoff Webster-trained Mister Zion, showed great gate speed and led most the way. Still in the lead at the bell by over a meter, Mister Zion driven by Luke McCarthy put in a fantastic effort on the home straight but tiered in the final metres with New South Wales pacer Karloo Mick close on his heels.

Driven by trainer Mark Peace, Cincinnati Kid then got the run on the inside after sitting off the speed and behind the leaders in the early stages, to hit the lead and take home his first Group 1 victory and maiden Barastoc Grand Circuit win.

Cincinnati Kid ran a sharp mile rate of 1:59.8 after a blistering 27.8s final quarter.

Karloo Mick’s driver Greg Bennet lodged a small protest against Anthony Butt, the reinsman behind Mr. Feelgood, over suspected interference in the final few metres, but the protest was upheld.

It was Mark Peace’s second Ballarat Cup following his success back in 1994 with Dark Paul.

The win was Cincinnati Kid’s 22^nd victory from a prolific 98-race career and the $80 000 first prize boosted his total prizemoney earned to $406 595.

2010 Ballarat Pacing Cup Results:

12 elite pacers are ready to fight it out for the prestigious title, including the Geoff Webster-trained champion Mister Zion.

Due to be driven by Luke McCarthy on Saturday, Mister Zion has drawn superbly in barrier one from where the promising pacer can make the most of his great gate speed.

Coming off three successive victories including his win in the Group 1 South Australian Pacing Cup last start, the in-form Red River Hanover gelding will be sure to play a big role in this race and is possibly Webster’s best chance of winning back-to-back Ballarat Cups.

Webster also has gifted four-year-old Tear It All Away engaged in the feature, starting from barrier five, and the defending Ballarat Cup champion Mister Swinger, who he will be driving in barrier 11.

The star studded field also comprises of the brilliant previous winner of the Hunter Cup and the Inter Dominion Mr Feelgood, and last start-winner Sammy Maguire.

The Gavin Lang-trained Sammy Maguire has been stunningly consistent and claimed an impressive victory in the Group 2 Bendigo Pacing Cup last Saturday ahead of Mr Feelgood.

The two will face off again in the Ballarat Cup, Mr Feelgood having the disadvantage of drawing wide with barrier 12 while five-year-old Sammy Maguire has drawn ideally in barrier three.

The most experienced pacer is the John McCarthy trained and driven Be Good Johnny, starting in barrier seven.

The Ballarat Cup, which is also the next leg in the Barastoc Grand Circuit, is scheduled as race seven on the night’s great nine-event card and is due to jump at 10:00pm (VIC time).

The other highlight harness events at the Ballarat meeting will be races three and six, the two semi-finals of the SEW-Eurodrive Inter Dominion Trotting Championship.

2010 Ballarat Pacing Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

The winning Live Or Die gelding trained by Keith Cotchin started at odds of $5.10 and defeated Cincinnati Kid ($6.10) by four metres with Geoff Webster’s Tear It All Away ($18) a head back in third.

Karloo Mick, the $3.60 favourite, could only manage fourth place despite unleashing a powerful run in the third quarter on the outside.

Tanabi Bromac, driven by star reinsman Gavin Lang, was the outside leader after starting from barrier four, then in the final lap at the 1800m mark he moved up to front-runner Jackson Grant before snaring the lead on the last turn.

Jackson Grant eased off in the final straight coming in seventh.

The victory was Tanabi Bromac’s 17^th win from his 40 career starts and brought his lifetime stakes earnings to $339 040.

Tanabi Bromac is now heading towards the prestigious $400 000 BIG6 Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley on February 6 after twice winning races that exempt him from ballot for the prestigious feature.

The other two feature pacing events of the night were the $25 000 Listed The Lombo 2YO Finals (1609m). The Fillies Final ran first and was taken out by Radical Calza while Our Ponzi claimed victory in the Colts & Geldings The Lombo.

2010 Shepparton Cup Results:

Starting from the front row barrier four as the $2.50 favourite, the Queensland trained Washaki beat home the Gary Hall-trained Im Themightyquinn ($4.70) by 1.2m with Our Malabar ($41.70) the surprise third placegetter an extra four metres back.

It was a rough and tumble affair with many of the top elects finding themselves restrained after the start and unable to get a clear run including Has The Answers ($5.60) who came in fifth behind Alzona ($40.40) the roughie who had a great run for fourth, and sixth placegetter Bonavista Bay ($6.50).

The eventual winner was four deep into the first turn after showing great gate speed and then found himself caught three wide early on. Washakie continued to have a tough run but pressed forward to get up and make his move on the outside of the leader, crossing Indian Giver to lead the way into the back straight.

Inside the 650m local hero Im Themightyquinn raced up to Washakie and gave it everything he had, the two racing head to head before Im Themightyquinn snatched the lead for a few metres. But it was Washakie who took home the title after pulling out a final burst of acceleration to pull away from his fast finishing rival to take the title by just over a metre.

Early leader Indian Giver lost pace and ran out of charge, stopping to a walk in the final stretch and eventually finishing a distant ninth.

The John McCarthy-trained and driven Washakie peeled off sensational quarter sectionals to run a record breaking mile rate of 1:56.3, beating Our Sir Vancelot’s previous race mile rate record of 1:57.3 set in 1998.  The $250 000 first place prizemoney raised his earnings to an impressive $699 945 from his 24 career wins.

Now a triple Group 1 winner, Washakie will move on to the $400 000 BIG6 Hunter Cup at Moonee Valley on February 6, for which he has now been penalised 10m.

The victory also saw Washakie elevate to third on the overall Barastoc Grand Circuit leaderboard with four races to go in the series. Washakie sits on 11 points, four behind the leader Monkey King.

2010 WA Pacing Cup Results:

The WA Cup is shaping up to be a sensational race with an elite field full of Group 1 winning champions eager to claim the lucrative prize and secure another prestigious victory.

Prolific trainer Gary Hall Snr. has four of his top pacers engaged in the final. Indian Giver has drawn ideally with barrier one, but Hall’s other more fancied horses Talk To Me Courage (br.7), Im Themightquinn (br.10) and Alzona (br.12) have all drawn wide.

Hall’s strong contingent will face some truly tough opposition from the likes of the Tony Svilicich-trained Has The Answers and Bonavista Bay, trained and driven by Mark Reed.

Has The Answers last victory was in the Group 1 Australian Pacing Championship a fortnight ago and the seven-year-old gelding will start from barrier nine on Friday night. He is also the most experienced pacer of the bunch having had 104 career starts.

Has The Answers will be driven by Chris Lewis, the chief reinsman competing in his 28^th WA Pacing Cup. Lewis has won the race a total of five times, the second highest number of wins in the event behind Phil Coulson with seven WA Cup victories.

Bonavista Bay is coming off a last start victory in the McInerney Ford Classic and has drawn barrier six in the WA Cup.

Also drawn well in the race and not to be overlooked is the winner of the 2009 Australian Pacing Championship Washakie. The John McCarthy trained and driven six-year-old is set to jump from barrier four and has a 50% strike rate at Gloucester Park, having won 7 of his 14 starts at the track.

Washakie is looking to atone for his unlucky seventh in the WA Pacing Cup last year.

The other highlight race of the meeting will be the WA Pacing Cup Consolation (race six).

The WA Pacing Cup final is scheduled as race seven on the night’s great 10-race programme and is set to start at 8:55pm (WA time).

2010 WA Pacing Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Five-year-old Sammy Maguire ($4.50) beat home the $3.30 favourite and reigning Inter Dominion Champion Mr Feelgood by 2.6m with Ti Vogliobene ($22.40) some four metres back from the winner for third.

Sammy Maguire well and truly atoned for his last start defeat to Mr Feelgood in the New Year Sprint, the winning Mach Three gelding running a mile rate of 1:49.4 that included a sizzling 27.7second final quarter.

It was a disappointing result for driver Brian Gath, who was going for his second Bendigo Cup victory.

Gath drove the Tony Peacock-trained third favourite Power Of Tara ($4.80) in the feature but only managed to finish sixth despite leading on the outside at the bell.

The victory elevated Sammy Maguire’s career record to 17 wins from 30 starts, and he will now focus on this season’s Watpac Inter Dominion that commences at Harold Park on February 19.

2010 Bendigo Pacing Cup Results: