Look ahead to this weekend's harness racing action in our weekly preview, thanks to Darren Clayton.
The purists turn their eyes to New South Wales for the start of the Inter Dominion series on Friday night.
The three round series begins at Newcastle, before heading over the Great Divide to Bathurst and then to Menangle for the last round of heats.
Then there is a week off and then the Final on December 14.
While 'ID' glory is sought over the next fortnight, there will be no shortage of racing action in Queensland and this weekend will see eight races from 'The Creek' on Friday and eight Saturday, before action turns to the 700 metre oval at Marburg for seven on Sunday.
CAN QUEENSLAND GO BACK-TO-BACK?
Leap To Fame won the 2023 Inter Dominion crown for Queensland in his own backyard and the hopes of the state securing successive titles in the pacing series rest on just two horses.
The Chantal Turpin-trained Blacksadance was a runner-up in the 2023 ID Consolation and will take his shot at securing a maiden Group 1 victory if he can progress through to the Final.
Jimartee for trainer Cristina Monte is the other hopeful.
The seven-year-old has gone to a new level since joining the Monte barn at the start of this season.
Jimartee's efforts include two sub-1.50 miles at 'The Creek' in his seven wins and five placings for the year.
Both Queensland-trained pacers have drawn the same heat on Friday night for the opening night of the series, with Blacksadance installed as the favourite after securing barrier two over the Newcastle 2030 metre trip.
Jimartee will start inside the second line, with regular driver Ricky Thurlow heading south to partner the gelding.
Thurlow is not overly worried by the gate, suggesting with the right run, some good points can be secured first-up.
Gus will be the lone Queensland flag bearer in the trotting division.
The Turpin-trained five-year-old is chasing a second Inter Dominion Grand Final after progressing through to the 2023 Final on his home track.
It has been a mixed preparation for the gelding heading into the series.
Gus claimed five successive victories in the winter, which including wins at Group 2 and 3 level, before making an error and finishing at the tail of the field as an odds-on favourite when chasing Group 1 success.
Having raced just twice since that defeat on July 27, his latest trial was a sharp piece of work, running the mile just 0.4 seconds outside the Albion Park trotters track record.
A SMOKIN SHOWDOWN
The second event on the program on Saturday night from Albion Park is one of the stand out races on the card.
Captain Shuffles has already been well supported in early markets to be the second elect.
The Ben Crosby-trained and Nathan Dawson-driven five-year-old will be running from gate five.
The Group 1-winner was scheduled to tackle a similar graded event in the washed-out meeting two weeks ago where a showdown with Tims A Trooper loomed.
However, he returns second-up from a spell for this assignment.
Tims A Trooper was to clash with Captain Shuffles the night of the washout.
Instead he was first-up since the Pure Steel in February last week, finding himself buried on the fence.
With Hot And Treacherous stomping out a big mile in front, Tims A Trooper only saw space late, with his last 100 metres strong and his own last 800 metres covered in 54.94.
Barrier one this week is a huge boost to his chances.
Always Smokin draws gate two and will likely take his shot off the arm to look for the front after being forced to park outside Hot And Treacherous last week.
Game in defeat, the four-year-old was still fighting on the wire, finishing just over two metres from the winner.
WHO RUNS THE WORLD?
The three-year-old contest scheduled to jump as race six on Saturday will provide the answer to this question, at least at the Chantal Turpin and Pete McMullen stables, either human or equine.
Who runs the world?
Aardie B Miki and The Janitor are the leading performers of each sex of their age in the Turpin stable, if not the state, and will do battle for the first time against each other under race conditions and both are chasing a third successive victory.
The filly Aardie B Miki defeated the open age mares two starts back, including Chynchilla, in the Queen of Hearts pace and has drawn the second line, while The Janitor will need to overcome gate six.
Pete McMullen has opted to take the lines on the filly Aardie B Miki, while Turpin will partner The Janitor, a gelding who she combined with to claim a tough win last week.
GET ON
Mydadsaid.
The gelding will strip fitter following his return to the track last week where he landed a wide gate and did some early work.
Finishing under three metres from the winner, an improved gate can see him bounce back to winning form.
