KEY POINTS:
Blacks A Fake belatedly begins his quest for a chunk of Australasian harness history when he contests tonight's group two Moonee Valley Cup.
The Queensland pacer opens his southern state campaign, which is aimed at winning the Melbourne Interdominion series, which would give him a third successive win in Australasian harness racing's biggest event.
The only pacer to achieve the feat in the 60-plus-year history of the Interdominions is Brian Hancock's champion Our Sir Vancelot, who won the 1997 Adelaide, 1998 Hobart and 1999 Auckland Interdoms.
It will be Blacks A Fake's first venture out of Queensland since the equine influenza crisis crippled the racing industry in late August.
And it will be the seven-year-old's first run in a standing start race since he blew the start and finished 12th in the 2006 Moonee Valley Cup.
Blacks A Fake has won two of his three runs this preparation in Queensland and finished a head away second in the other behind Slip 'N' Slide in the Christmas Cup at Albion Park on December 8.
After serving his quarantine period at Geelong, trainer-driver Natalie Rasmussen took Blacks A Fake to the Ballarat trials last Sunday where he clashed with Bendigo Cup winner Safari.
Although Safari won by one metre, he did have a 20m start on Blacks A Fake.
But in tonight's Moonee Valley Cup (2575m) all horses will start from the front.
Blacks A Fake is still rated as an out-of-the-draw horse and therefore will start from the outside of the second row while Safari has drawn the inside of the second row.
- AAP
