A brilliant line-up of some of the nation’s best trotters are engaged for the 2010 Uncle Petrika FFA including Australia’s favourite squaregaiter Sundons Gift.

The talented Sundon gelding has drawn way back and out on Friday night in barrier 12. Coming off a brilliant succession of victories, the seemingly unstoppable Chris Lang-trained champion will again have Lang behind the reins as he attempts his 32^nd career victory.

Despite drawing awkwardly dual Inter Dominion champion Sundons Gift will start as the favourite

Despite the awkward draw, the dual Inter Dominion champion will still start as the odds-on favourite fresh up from a short spell.

Lang will also be represented by Earl gelding Kyvalley Mac drawn better in barrier five.

The level of competition Sundons Gift will face in the event is elite with two of his biggest threats drawn either side of him also in the backrow, Thepowerofhealing in barrier 11 and Ronerail in 13.

Ronerail recently ran a gallant second to Red Samurai in the Group 3 Bruce Skeggs Trotters Cup, showing he could come from the back of the pack to challenge the winner.

Other classy contenders looking to secure the win on Friday night include Lance Justice’s duo Beleva drawn ideally in barrier one, and Earl Of Mot, who Justice will drive, also drawn well in four.

Punters and trotting fans can catch all the action of the 2010 Renown Silverware Uncle Petrika Trotters Free-For-All at 10:12pm when it runs as race eight on the night’s bumper nine-event card.

The programme also includes a number of great features for the pacers with the running of the $20,000 Mittys Youthful Stakes, heats of the Nevele R Stud Victoria Oaks and the $20,000 SEW-Eurodrive Sokyola Sprint featuring a the likes of Smoken Up and stablemate Our Malabar.

2010 Uncle Petrika Trotters FFA Final Field & Barrier Draw:

The brilliant Sundons Gift started the 2010 Maori’s Idol Memorial as the clear favourite at $1.30 and didn’t disappoint once again as he beat home stablemate Kyvalley Mac ($21.40) by 3.7m, giving Lang the quinella.

Long-priced outsider Look Here Bloke ($75.60) finished a further 2.9m back in a desperate fight for third, beating Acacia Ridge ($28.10) by a fraction to the line.

The win gave dual Inter Dominion champion Sundons Gift back-to-back success in the Maori’s Idol Memorial

The win gave dual Inter Dominion champion Sundons Gift back-to-back success in the Maori’s Idol Memorial after he claimed victory there last year.

After starting from a poor back row barrier, eight-year-old Sundons Gift and Lang worked their way up the field and were sitting three wide and one back at the bell. They sat on the back of Joe Bro, installed as the $7.70 second favourite, and had a dream run.

While Joe Bro faded to finish sixth 8.7m back from the winner, with 300m to go Sundons Gift charged into the lead, sailing past his rivals for the win.

Sundons Gift ran a mile rate of 2:00.3 in Friday night’s victory, which was his 31^st win from 59 career starts, his fifth in succession. The impressive Sundon gelding has now earned over $830, 670 in prizemoney making him the third highest earning trotter in Australasia.

Sundons Gift was ridden by Lang’s son Chris Jnr. who boasts an unbeaten record driving the star, having won eight from eight.

2010 Maoris Idol Memorial Results:

12 top trotters are engaged in the testing 2240m, headlined by Chris Lang’s brilliant and ever consistent gelding Sundons Gift drawn wide in barrier 12.

The outstanding Inter Dominion Trotting Champion is seemingly unstoppable and is coming off a succession of sensational victories including his last-start win in the Group 1 Sunnyfield Trotters Mile.

Last year Sundons Gift claimed victory in both the Inter Dominion and Maori’s Idol Memorial. This year he made it back-to-back Inter Dominion success and on Friday he will look to make it back-to-back wins in the Maori’s Idol too.

Despite the less than ideal barrier draw Sundons Gift will still start as the odds-on favourite and has the speed, ability, form and determination to overcome the wide draw and will be the one to beat.

Lang also has Kyvalley Mac starting in the Maori’s Idol Memorial, the Earl gelding having secured the prized barrier one. Kyvalley Mac will be driven by Ben Gledhill as Lang drives his star Sundons Gift.

Other starters in the trotting feature at the meeting include the Lance Justice trained and driven Earl Of Mot drawn well in barrier two, Graeme Lang’s last start winner Sosoclassy, Joe Bro in barrier six coming off a last start fifth in the Sunnyfiled Trotters Cup, and the Gary Hoban-trained Acacia Ridge out wide in 11.

The M.E. Bell Projects Maori’s Idol Memorial is programmed as race six on the night’s cracker nine-race card and is scheduled to start at 9:12pm (VIC time).

2010 Maori’s Idol Memorial Final Field & Barrier Draw:

Trained and driven by Chris Lang, last year’s winner Sundons Gift outclassed his rivals once again as the $1.60 favourite beat home shock second placegetter, Queensland-trained Kasyanov ($147) by an easy 9.5m with Lang’s other runner Skyvalley ($5.50) finishing off the trifecta a further 3.8m back.

Improving trotter Cillas Earl ($38) was a close fourth just ahead of Acacia Ridge ($18.70) in fifth.

Sundons Gift showed sensational speed from barrier one to take the lead early, running a first quarter of 29.7s. The third pre-race favourite, Gavin Lang’s Don King ($9.60) was in second place for the first quarter, but went to three wide by the middle before eventually tailing off to finish seventh.

After a 31.8s second quarter, Sundons Gift still held a 3m lead from Don King while eventual second-placegetter Kasyanov moved to the inside.

Running 28.9s over the third quarter Sundons Gift increased his lead on the final turn, running clear from the pack as Don King tiered, slipping back and making way for Kasyanov to move up to second place.

As the leader kept pulling away for a sensational win, his stablemate Skyvalley moved up to third on the outside.

The eight-year-old winning Sundon gelding clocked a smart mile rate of 2:01.0 in his 29^th victory from 57 career starts. The $142 500 in Saturday’s Inter Dominion winnings bought his overall career earnings to $789 673.

With the win Sundons Gift became only the second horse in history to secure back-to-back trotting Inter Dominion Championships, the first since New Zealand runner Pride Of Petite in 1996/1997, and the first Australian bred trotter to achieve the feat.

The victory may have been Sundons Gift’s second, but his trainer went one better as it was Lang’s third successive Inter Dominion win.

Runner-up Kasyanov also made history as the first Queensland trained trotter to not only make the Inter Dominion Grand Final, but place in the top three as well.

The $30 000 Group 2 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Consolation (2575m) was the other major trotting event at the meeting, won by Ronerail ($2.40) 4.7m ahead of Earl Of Mot ($9.50) with Chris Lang’s Kyvalley Mac ($32.40) in third.

2010 Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Results:

The eight-year-old son of Sundon started as the warm pre-race favourite at $1.90 and lived up to all expectations when he beat home the second elect Acacia Ridge ($2.80) in the champion square-gaiter’s first start in six weeks.

The bookies had it spot on for the event, as the third favourite starter Armed Guard ($12.20) finished off the trifecta.

The in-form Acacia Ridge showed tremendous gate speed from his front row barrier two setting the pace as the early leader.

On the last lap with 800m to go, Gary Hoban’s Acacia Ridge still held the lead with Sundons Gift second on the outside.

On the home straight it was a battle of the big guns as the two top trotters fought for the Cochran Cup title. Class prevailed in the end as the skilled veteran Sundons Gift eased ahead and crossed the line first by 2.3m.

Trained and driven by Chris Lang, the reigning Australian Trotting Grand Prix champion Sundons Gift clocked an impressive mile rate of 2:03.9 after overcoming his wide barrier to claim victory in the $30 000 feature, bringing his career stakes to over $620 000.

Lang’s other runner, Kyvalley Mac, finished sixth behind Pepperell Dancer with the Michael Marais-trained In Pursuit coming in fourth.

The victory further ensured that Sundons Gift is on track to defend his coveted Inter Dominion Championship title, which kicks off this Saturday with the semi final round at Ballarat.

2010 E B Cochran Trotters Cup Results:

It is a start studded field for the next feature trotting event, with many big names set to line up including the Michael Marais-trained In Pursuit and Chris Lang’s Sundons Gift.

In Pursuit has drawn barrier seven while last month’s Australian Trotting Grand Prix champion Sundon’s Gift has a bit of work to do from the barrier 11.

Despite the wide draw, the prolific Sundon’s Gift is still sure to start as the favourite, the bay gelding the most experienced and highest earning trotter on the field having won nearly $600 000 in prizemoney. He is coming off a last start second place to Skyvalley in the Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint back in December.

Chris Lang also has Kyvalley Mac entered in the 2690m staying event, starting from barrier nine.

Meanwhile, New Zealand bred Armed Guard has secured the inside running with barrier one and will start beside the highly fancied and ever-consistent Acacia Ridge, trained and driven by Gary Hoban.

Acacia Ridge, runner-up to Don King in the Group 1 VL Dullard Cup earlier in the month, is the only horse on the field coming off a last-start victory.

The big pacing event at the meeting is the $50 000 Group 2 Shepparton Gold Cup (race 7) with other highlights of the night including the $25 000 The Lombo 2YO Fillies Final (race 2) and the $25 000 The Lombo 2YO Colts & Geldings Final (race 8).

The EB Cochran Trotters Cup is scheduled as race five on the night’s cracker nine-race programme, set to start at 8:30pm (VIC time).

2010 Cochran Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw:

There has been a major shake-up of the Bill Collins final field today, with the reigning champ Will Trapper scratched due to injury. The son of Keystone Salute will not get a chance to defend the title after suffering a minor bump on the leg that will stop the eight-year-old from competing on Friday night.

It is still a high quality field of runners with all of the starters in last week’s Australian Trotting Grand Prix backing up with a run in the Sprint, with the exception of last placegetter La Mosca. One of the most talented trotters is the Chris Lang-trained Sundons Gift now boasting a hat-trick of Grand Prix victories after last Friday’s success. The champion squaregaiter is aiming at his first victory in the Bill Collins, after placing eighth in 2007 and third last year. He will have to work hard to prove himself as a star sprinter as well as stayer though after drawing awkwardly with gate 10.

Another fancied runner Sundons Gift’s stablemate, Skyvalley has drawn well with gate three. Lang also has Kyvalley Mac starting from gate two in the feature event.

The squaregaiters will get their chance to battle it out at 8:40pm (VIC time) when the Group 1 $50 000 Bill Collins Trotters Sprint runs as the sixth event on Tabcorp Park’s mega 10-race programme on Friday night.

2009 Bill Collins Sprint Final Field:

Eight-year-old gelding Will Trapper ($6.40) defeated Acacia Ridge ($8.20) by 3.4m with Kyvalley Mac ($17.30) coming in 8.5m from the winner in third.

Odds-on favourite starting the race at $3.10 Ronerail ran a very dismal seventh attracting a vet’s examination after the race.

Another disappointing run was the Chris Lang-trained Sundowns Gift, the returning Inter Dominion champion finishing eighth.

Will Trapper, by Keystone Salute out of Downsouth Soon, clocked a sharp 3:18.5 (mile rate 2:05:0) over the 2555m event, proving he is in the right form for the upcoming Aldebaran Park Stud Bill Collins Trotters Sprints, for which he is aiming at back-to-back victory.

2009 Majestic Son Cranbourne Trotters Cup Result:

Scratched:

SUNSET TRUSCOTT