"I'll be smiling regardless on Friday night, because it'll just good to see him get back out on there," Tubbs said.

"That's the first part in coming back - physically getting back out there for a race and saying ‘let's go' - and it will be good to see."

It's what harness fans have been waiting for ever since the five-year-old son of Iraklis ran his rivals ragged with a track record 1:55.8 win in the SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup at the Valley on December 20.

Melpark Major was then put away for March's Watpac Inter Dominion on the Gold Coast, only to cruelly have the curtain brought down on that campaign with a minor-but-poorly-timed hoof injury on the eve of the series.

That's why Tubbs will be so happy just to see the gelding back in action, despite the fact a crack field threatens his ability to return with a win.

Melpark Major is the $1.90 favourite in TAB Sportsbet's fixed odds market, but the other horse who has claims on the mantle as Victoria's top pacer, Smoken Up, is hot on his heels at $2.20.

Paul Rowse-trained sit-sprinter Decorated Jasper ($6) is the only other horse at single figures in a field that also includes Grand Circuit winner Bold Cruiser ($21), Our Malabar ($26), Karlsruhe ($51) and Im Mark Antony ($67).

Melpark Major has the advantage at the barriers, landing two with Smoken Up to roll from four, but Tubbs said the race was merely a tune-up for the $50,000 Group 2 Shire Of Melton Sprint at Tabcorp Park on Sunday, July 5.

"He's had three trials and they've all been good, strong finishes, but they're not races," Tubbs said. "They don't run it at the front end like they do in a race, trials tend to be casual, and he's just at the stage where he needs a run.

"If he goes out there and runs second or third and wasn't quite ready and blows up a bit, that's not a worry, because he had to go round and we'll know he'll improve."

The Golden Reign FFA is race four on tomorrow night's nine-event card and will be run at 8.12pm.

Barrier pleasure at last

Nightmare starting positions have plagued her four-year-old season, but Kept For Pleasure won't have her barrier to blame if she gets beaten in tomorrow night's VSB&SA Silver Chalice (2100m) at Moonee Valley.

Last season's Victoria and Australian Oaks winner will roll from the coveted inside alley in the $25,000 event for the four-year-old girls.

It's a marked improvement on where she's drawn at her previous Victorian outings this racing year.

It all started when she drew barrier eight - inside the back row - in her Vicbred Super Series heat at Ballarat, when forced to settle for second placing behind Sophie Pass.

She then started from 11 in her semi, when again runner-up, and just when trainer Susan Hunter didn't think things could get any worse, the daughter of Safely Kept drew outside the back row for the Group 1 final, in which she finished fifth behind Wyperfeld.

She then again came up with the tricky inside-back-row starting position for her most recent Victorian assignment, when a mystifying last against the older mares in the Cinderella Stakes on May 15.

But her bad luck at barrier draws hasn't been limited to Victoria, as she drew barrier eight on the Menangle circuit that takes 10 across the front at her latest outing on June 14.

She was good enough to overcome that against open-age mares, which has Hunter confident that she can make the most of her dream draw in the Silver Chalice.

"She's had eights and 12, all back-row draws for most of the season, which has been frustrating because she's been really well, so when I saw barrier one I was rapt," said Hunter, who's based at Cobbitty in New South Wales.

"She travelled down really well yesterday and has settled in nicely so I really couldn't be any happier with her."

TAB Sportsbet thinks Kept For Pleasure, who will be driven by champion Victorian reinsman Gavin Lang, is the horse to beat, listing her the $2.20 favourite in its fixed odds market.

Gilt Bromac (six) occupies the second line at $4.80, ahead of last week's SEW-Eurodrive Enduro winner Sophie Pass (five, $6) with Wya Mya Macray (two), Wyperfeld (three), Miss Laura Jane (seven), Lady Octavia (11) and Very Chic (12) all at $15.

Coastal pumped up for Tontine Final

A pump will be the first piece of equipment Lance Justice loads into the truck while he is preparing for his trip to Geelong on Saturday night.

The Melton trainer-driver will ensure his sulky wheels are fully inflated before he heads out to contest the $30,000 Group 3 Melton Saddlery Tontine Pacers Series Final with Coastal.

A flat tyre was just one misfortune Coastal had to battle when runner-up to Jaccka Sandy in his semi final and although he has the outside of the back row to contend with in the 2100-metre decider, Justice remains confident.

"He races well from behind and he had to come three wide at Ballarat the other night (in his semi) when another horse ran him off the track, plus he carried a flat tyre as well," Justice said.

"Even though he got beaten he went exceptionally well, so we'll just make sure the tyres are pumped up and he should go pretty close to them."

Although he's giving away age to most of his rivals in the 9.30pm final, the three-year-old Courage Under Fire gelding will start one of the top fancies for the time-honoured series for C2-C4 pacers.

He's won nine of his 27 starts and $60,752 in stakes - the most by any horse in the field.

Shaping as the hardest to beat for Coastal are Jaccka Sandy (barrier six) and the other semi-final winner Bigbang Nitro (eight), while Our Madagascar (five), Lady Lunchalot (nine) and Rowan Direct (11) demonstrated their ability with fine heat wins.

The pacers' decider is just one of two big finals to be decided at Geelong with the $16,000 Melton Saddlery Trotters Series Final also up for grabs.

Shadon (front) and Joule Count (10m) were the heat winners, but they can expect stiff opposition from Puerto Bonus (20m), Kellys Nippa (30m) and Justanothermaori (front), a son of former champion mare Sumthingaboutmaori, in the 2570-metre standing start event.

The Tontine finals aren't the only highlights of a card that features the return of rising star Sammy Maguire, who will meet a field of C6 or better performers in the Major In Art Pace (8pm), and a pair of Vicbred Super Series heats for two-year-old trotters.

Headline act in the first qualifier (at 7pm) is Mister Castleton, who took his record to four wins from as many starts with victory in the Group 2 Tatlow Stakes at Moonee Valley on June 12.

The second heat follows at 7.32pm, with competitors battling it out for a spot in the $50,000 Group 1 final on Tabcorp Park's grand opening day - Sunday, July 5.

Breeders Crown action hots up

Australasian Breeders Crown action lifts a cog this weekend when the first Australian heats of this year's series are run at Globe Derby, Adelaide.

A pair of $6000 two-year-old pacing qualifiers are the highlights of tomorrow night's meeting, while another couple of $6000 heats for the three-year-old pacers will be run on Monday afternoon.

Tomorrow night's fillies' qualifier, at 10.05pm EST, has attracted eight runners with the George Smith-trained Carlisle Queen (barrier four), Clare Goble's Clarenden Electra (seven) and the well-drawn Ladette (one) among the top fancies.

A field of five will square up in the colts and geldings heat, at 11.03pm, where consistent Grinfromeartoear gelding Smileys A Corka should prove hard to beat from barrier three.

Last-start winners Tiger Oreilly (one), Demon Dean (two) and Brutus Smith (five) clash with capable Victorians Dominate Line (four) and It And A Bit (six) in the colts and geldings heat, at 4.12pm, which kicks off Monday's action.

It concludes with a competitive seven-horse fillies qualifier at 4.42pm, in which last season's champion juvenile Ananz (six) clashes with Mohua (two), Western Empress (three), Clarenden Serene (five) and Stunning Bird (seven).

The winners of the South Australian heats will join six Kiwis who have already booked their spots in the finals at Tabcorp Park in August.

Heading the charge is star two-year-old pacer Smiling Shard, who strolled home in his heat at Christchurch on Tuesday.

The Cran Dalgety-trained Harness Jewels winner, who hasn't finished further back than second at his past eight starts, accounted for four rivals to secure his place in the August 14 semi-finals.

Joining Smiling Shard as a qualifier from the Addington meeting was the Mark Purdon-trained McArdle filly Seshny Bromac, who made light work of her field of two-year-old rivals.

They followed on from a quartet of trotting heats that were run across the Tasman last Friday.

Continentalman three-year-old Castletonian and two-year-old Earl filly Landora's Pearl booked a place in their Group 1 finals on August 23 trotting finals with wins at Addington, while classy two-year-old Tuhimata Glass and three-year-old Rondo progress to the finals as the North Island qualifiers.

Brad BISHOP