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 Sundons Gift ($8.70) driven by trainer Chris Lang defeated Will Trapper ($20.30) by just 1.5m with another outsider and local star Save A Sixpence ($23.10) 7.3m back from the winner in third.

Odds-on favourite at $2.30 and stablemate to Sundons Gift, Skyvalley managed fourth while the other highly fancied runner Springbank Richard ($2.40) finished a dismal fifth some 13m from the winner, despite having had the inside run. The poor performance put an end to Skyvalley’s impressive string of six victories.

The victory proved the reigning Inter Dominion champion, Sundons Gift, was back in winning form after placing eight in last week’s Cranbourne Trotters Cup. The bay gelding ran a gross time of 2:45.2 for a sharp mile rate of 1:58.7, which beat Skyvalley’s track record by half a second.

Sundons Gift will start next in the coveted $50 000 Group 1 Bill Collins Trotters Sprint on Friday night.

Other feature trotting events held over the weekend were the $15 000 Yarra Valley Trotters Cup won by ten-year-old Solar Active in Victoria on Friday night. The $10 000 Wedderburn Trotters Cup (2690m) followed at Maryborough on Sunday, where Don King claimed victory for his 12^th win from 22 career starts.

2009 Australian Trotting Grand Prix Results:

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