Inter Dominion trotting clean sweep

Just Believe, a six-year-old harness racing gelding by Orlando Vici and one of the amazing first crop of the French stallion (he sired 11 winners from 11 foals), completed a clean sweep of the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship when he captured the Group 1 $250,000 Grand Final at Melton on Saturday night (December 10).

It was Just Believe’s seventh success for the season and his mile rate of 1:59.1 for 2760 metres was put up when he had nothing in his favour, drawing near the outside of the second row and being forced to race without cover for the last 1400. Queen Elida NZ (by Love You) ran a close third.

The win lifted Just Believe’s bankroll to $393,863, of which $278,930 has been won this season and he is the second richest trotter in Australia in 2022.

Haras Des Trotteurs sires posted a winning treble at the all-trotters meeting at Bendigo 24 hours earlier.

Brilliant three-year-old Cravache Dor (Orlando Vici) sat parked throughout before winning the Wagon Apollo Trotting Mile in a career-best 1:55.6, Courmayeur (Village Mystic) led and easily won the Scotch Notch 3YO Trotting Mile for fillies in 1:59.7, while Love Gun (Love You) trounced his rivals in restricted class.

Used To Me picked up a new credit when the three-year-old Stockman Peter won on debut at Maryborough, while Abitofadreamer notched his fourth success at Kilmore on the same night.

The lightly raced My Double Delight (Quaker Jet) broke through for her first win at Mennagle, scoring by 13 metres, while Love You weighed in with a pair of winners in Maestro (Ballarat) and Love N The Port (Winton, NZ).

by Peter Wharton, for Harnesslink