The star of the show at the moment is Victorian Smoken Up which is ready for a clean sweep of the heats in Auckland after finding even more luck in the gate draw.

Trainer-driver Lance Justice was ecstatic after his charger drew spot one for his next Alexandra Park qualifying heat.

“Everything has fallen into the place so far on the trip,” Justice said.

“He handled the travel well, seems to love racing in the opposite direction over here and we’ve drawn well in both heats.

“I couldn’t believe how easily he won and how fantastic he felt last week. There’s no reason he won’t be better again this week.

“We all know the speed he’s got, so I’ll be leading and there’s no reason he shouldn’t win again.”

His major challengers in the race will all start alongside him on the front row with Smiling Shard in two, Power Of Tara in three, Washakie in four and Blacks A Fake in five.

Natalie Rasmussen was satisfied with Blacks A Fake’s draw and said this race will be entirely different to what we saw last week.

“He needed the run last week so I drove him soft, but this week he’s ready to do it tough,” she said.

“He’s a different horse from this time last week.”

In the first of Friday’s pacing heats Mr Feelgood has every chance to win the race after grabbing position one.

His main rival Im Themightyquinn will have it all to do from spot ten.

Another Victorian, Villagem will start from gate two in that race and should qualify after running third to Smoken Up last week.

One of New Zealand’s top hopes Monkey King grabbed position nine setting himself up for the sprint lane on the home turn.

In the trotting heats Sundons Gift is another Australian which can lay claim to having the prime starting spot while stablemate Let Me Thru will need to force his way into the race from a wide gate.

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
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Last week the preliminary heats were held with the favourites reigning supreme in three of the races, but a few surprise roughies stepping up to fill the minor placings ahead of their higher seeded rivals.

The top 10 pacers at the end of the night will get their chance at the $1million final on Sunday March 7 at Menangle.

ID10 Heat 5:

The first Qualifying heat this Saturday night sees last week’s Heat 1 winner Atomic Arc jump from barrier four. Atomic Ark caused the upset of the preliminary heats when the $25.70 outsider narrowly beat home the $2.50 favourite Changeover by a half neck with I Am Sam ($8.70) in third.

Despite their win last week, the Natalie Rasmussen-trained gelding looks outclassed this week and will need a whole lot of luck to finish in the top two and move on to the final.

Atomic Arc faces some strong competitors including the Barastoc Grand Circuit winner Washakie who ran second to Bondy in heat four last week. Prepared and driven by John McCarthy, Washakie has drawn wide for Saturday’s run starting from barrier ten.

Others to watch in the first heat this week include the Lance Justice-trained Smoken Up, drawn ideally in barrier two and Mark Peace’s Cincinnati Kid.

The talented Smoken Up ran third to Blacks A Fake last week while it was a slightly disappointing finish Cincinnati Kid in the third preliminary heat when they ran a well beaten fifth to Monkey King.

Smoken Up is likely to start as the favourite in the opening heat and his blessed barrier two start should be a breeze in comparison to his inside back row draw last week.

ID10 Heat 6:

Lining up in the nine-horse second Qualifying heat on Saturday night is the stunning winner of heat 4 last week, the David Butt trained and driven Bondy. The Live Or Die gelding has won 22 of his 41 career starts and has displayed impressive recent form winning his past three successive races. The Hunter Cup winner Bondy has drawn ideally in barrier two.

Bondy currently sits second on the ID10 points tally with 15.

Starting on the outside of the sure to be favourite is the Keith Cotchin-trained five-year-old Tanabi Bromac in barrier three. The classy Victorian, currently ranked equal ninth with 10 points, ran a crafty third in their heat last week behind the overall ID10 points’ leader Monkey King, and will be ridden on Saturday by champion reinsman Greg Sugars who replaces Gavin Lang.

Other in-form pacers engaged in the 9:00pm heat include the consistent Changeover in barrier six and Gavin Lang’s Sammy Maguire in barrier four.

ID10 Heat 7:

The third heat this Saturday sees the gifted Monkey King starting from barrier three. Monkey King is currently the highest ranked Inter Dominion contender with 17 points and the odds-on favourite to take out the 2010 series. The Sands A Flyin gelding looks well positioned to lead all the way on Saturday night as his brilliant barrier draw and sensational gate speed should see him hit the front early.

Victorian I Am Sam is also running in the 9:30pm heat and has drawn well in barrier two. The giant Alan Tubbs trained pacer ran third last week behind Atomic Ark and Changeover but faces a tough field this round.

Drawn on the far outside in barrier ten is Karloo Mick while Our Awesome Armbro, a runner-up last week, stands a solid chance after securing barrier one.

ID10 Heat 8:

The final heat at Harold Park this Saturday features another star studded field, headlined by Blacks A Fake. Trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen will be aboard the Fake Left gelding for the second-round following their success in the second heat last week. Blacks A Fake is seeking their fifth consecutive victory, but has drawn wide with barrier nine.

The other quality runner in the 10:00pm heat is Mr. Feelgood in barrier five, but no matter what the quality of rivals, they will have a hard time defeating the three time Inter Dominion champion Blacks A Fake.

The four second round Heats for the 2010 Inter Dominion are scheduled as races four (8:30pm), five (9:00pm), six (9:30pm) and seven (10:00pm) on Saturday night’s bumper nine-race programme.

WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Qualifying Heat 5:

WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Qualifying Heat 6:

WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Qualifying Heat 7:

WATPAC 2010 Inter Dominion Championship Qualifying Heat 8:

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).

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:

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: