On Friday night fans can catch a glimpse of the brilliant Smoken Up as he contests the $20,000 SEW-Eurodrive Sokyola Sprint (1720m) at Kilmore Tabcorp Park in Victoria.

The Lance Justice-trained and driven super star looks well positioned to break his recent succession of frustrating minor placings to secure his 34^th career win as the Tinted Cloud gelding has secured the prized inside running with barrier one.

Sure to start as the hot odds-on favourite, Smoken Up will face some truly classy competitors, including stablemate Our Malabar.

Coming off two successive victories in the Inter Dominion consolation and the Geelong Cup, the son of Live Or Die will be driven by Gavin Lang on Friday night and has drawn barrier four as he hopes to achieve a hat-trick of wins.

Both of Justice’s runners are using the Sokyola Sprint as a preparatory race for the $100,000 Group 1 Len Smith Mile, the prestigious invitation only event to be run next week.

Other gun pacers with claims are Karlsruhe out the back in barrier eight who defeated Smoken Up last start and previous Victoria Derby winner Tanabi Bromac in barrier six back from a campaign in the ‘Aple Isle’.

The highlight event of an entertaining nine-race card, the 2010 SEW-Eurodrive Sokyola Sprint is due to jump at 9:12pm as race six. Other features on the night will be the $20,000 Mittys Youthful Stakes (Race 3) and for the trotting enthusiasts the $20,000 Group 3 Uncle Petrika Trotters Free For All (Race 8).

2010 SEW-Eurodrive Sokyola Sprint Final Field & Barriers

After sitting three wide early on, the Geoff Webster-trained Mister Zion ($3.10) had snared the lead by the bell and held on for the win despite a strong challenge by the Gavin Lang-trained and driven Sammy Maguire ($2.30 Fav) who finished second just a head back.

Impressive filly Make Mine Cullen ($3.70) was only 1.5m away for third in a close top three finish after leading in the early stages of the race and sitting on the inside for the sprint home.

It was a thrilling finish for the spectators and a nervous wait for connections of the top two horses with Mister Zion and Sammy Maguire locked shoulder-to-shoulder over the final lap.

Mister Zion and Sammy Maguire were locked shoulder-to-shoulder over the final lap

On the back straight Sammy Maguire raced on the outside of Mister Zion, driven by boom reinsman Greg Sugars, who got just ahead on the line giving him the win over the odds-on favourite. It was the second consecutive year Sammy Maguire ran second in the Mildura Cup.

A son of Red River Hanover, Mister Zion now boasts an impressive strike rate of 14 wins from 23 starts and his career prizemoney totals $197,347.

2010 Park Douglas Printing Mildura Pacing Cup Results:

Ten of the country’s most exciting pacers are engaged in the 2600m mobile start feature including Geoff Webster’s talented Barastoc Grand Circuit Winner Mister Zion.

Geoff Websters’ talented Barastoc Grand Circuit winner Mister Zion will face off against Sammy Maguire

Last start winner in his Mildura Cup heat, Mister Zion will jump from barrier five on Saturday with master reinsman Greg Sugars due to drive.

The other winner from last week’s heats was the Gavin Lang-trained and driven Bendigo Cup victor Sammy Maguire who has drawn in the back row on Saturday night in barrier nine.

Trainer Glen Douglas is well represented in the 2010 Mildura Cup with Bunda Cliffs, who Glen with drive, and the consistent Breeders Crown winner Make Mine Cullen starting from barriers three and four respectively.

The 2010 Park Douglas Printing Mildura Pacing Cup is scheduled as race seven at 9:30pm on the night’s bumper nine event card that also features the $24,000 Mark Curry & Associates Cup Final (Race 5)

2010 Mildura Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

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:

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:

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:

Dedicated driver Brian Gath is attempting his second Bendigo Cup win with the Tony Peacock-trained Power Of Tara starting from barrier four.

Peacock also has Ohoka Nevada entered in the event, having drawn worse off than their stablemate with barrier seven.

Two other top pacers have drawn ideally, the Gavin Lang trained and driven Horsham Country Cup runner-up Sammy Maguire in br.1 and Geoff Webster’s Mister Swinger in br. 2.

Webster also trains Tear It All Away, the first emergency gaining a start from barrier three with Craig Demmler behind the reigns as Webster drives Mister Swinger.

The star studded field continues with Inter-Dominion champion Mr. Feelgood, the American pacer’s chances only tainted by his wide barrier 11 start.

The Bendigo Cup is set as race seven on the cracker nine-race programme and is due to start at 9:30pm (VIC time).

2010 Bendigo Pacing Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

The ever-improving five-year-old Tanabi Bromac’s ($3.80) early lead was never contested and he went on to cross the line nearly seven metres ahead of Tear It All Away ($15.20) with Notaswethort ($6.50) in a determined third place following their bad start from the barriers, ahead of the $3.50 favourite and last year’s winner I Am Sam in fourth some 12 metres back from the winner.

The Live Or Die gelding trained by Keith Cotchin and driven by in-form reinsman Gavin Lang clocked a mile rate of 2:00.2 over the 2700m standing start event, breaking the track record previously held by I Am Sam by 1.6 seconds. I Am Sam set the track record with his win in the race last year before he backed-up with a second placing in the coveted BIG6 Hunter Cup. The win was Lang’s fifth Horsham Cup victory.

An ideal lead-up to the BIG6 Hunter Cup, Tanabi Bromac now looks well placed to play a significant part in the $400 000 Group 1 feature at Moonee Valley on February 6 from which his Sunday night win has earned him exemption.

Another highly fancied runner in the Horsham Cup, Maffioso ($5.20) finished a dismal 11^th after surrendering their early lead. A vet’s examination after the race resulted in Maffioso being stood down for 30 days.

Also, the great trotting action over the weekend finished up on Sunday at the same meeting with the feature $10 000 Horsham Trotting Cup taken out by long-priced outsider Sharendoo Lass ($19).

2010 Horsham Pacing Cup Results: