It was a show-stopping and intensely close finish as the highly experience trotter, ten-year-old Solar Active ($5.60) beat home Gavlenn Ryoshy ($5.20) by merely a half-head with the $2.30 favourite Danny Bouchea just a half-neck back for third.

River Red set the pace early on, but Solar Active, who had a solid start from his 10m handicap mark, crossed the pacemaker on the second lap before the eventual winner’s driver Chris Alford found himself trailing the favourite Danny Bouchea at the bell. But the Sundown gelding took full advantage of the sprint lane to charge home first in the 2645m standing start event, clocking a sharp mile rate of 2:03.8.

The other major harness events held at Globe Derby on Saturday night were two elite pacing events, the Group 1 SEW-Eurodrive SA Derby taken out by Renaissance Man, and the Group 1 SA Cup where Mister Zion ran a fast finishing first.

2010 SA Trotters Cup Results: