What a successful day it was at Menangle on Sunday and while the crowd wasn't as big as the opening day it was still a great atmosphere. It was made all the more special by the performance of the greatest pacer that I will ever see in my lifetime, Blacks A Fake. He is a once in a lifetime pacer and while it's impossible to say that his feat of winning four Inter Dominions will never be repeated, it's hard to see his record ever being matched.

While Sunday was all about the performance of the nine year old gelding by Fake Left, don't forget about the performance of his trainer and driver Natalie Rasmussen. Rasmussen produced her best drive in an Inter Dominion final to win her fourth. She controlled the race from midfield which may sound funny but it was the fear of an early attack from Blacks a Fake that forced Washakie and Smoken Up to keep the pace on during the lead time and first quarter.

When the brakes did go on slightly at around the 1000 metre mark Rasmussen made an important move. She had to get out in front of Monkey King and it was important that she made her move far enough away from home that stopped David Butt considering a move from in front of her on Bondy.

When Blacks A Fake loomed up around the turn, the signs were looking ominous for his rivals, however there were a couple of horses that still looked to have a winning chance. John McCarthy must have needed a chiropractor after the race because he was looking over his shoulder so many times in the last 800 metres that he had me thinking that he was travelling very well but as soon as he straightened he was out of fuel. Monkey King was the other danger because he was travelling directly behind Blacks A Fake. The best sprinter in the race was on the back of the best stayer in the race and on what everyone had witnessed in the Miracle Mile it was only natural to assume that Monkey King was going to be in the finish.

Natalie glanced around on the turn, saw where Monkey King was and went for home. Blacks A Fake grabbed two metres on the race favourite and had the gallant Smoken Up in his sights. He powered past Smoken Up and held off Monkey King in the final 100 metres to record a breathtaking victory and one that will go down in history.

1. Blacks A Fake – Simply brilliant performance and a 10 out of 10 drive. It's hard to find anymore superlatives to describe him and the only factor that may prevent a fifth victory in the series is time.

2. Monkey King – The Brendon Hill stable heaped praise on Blacks A Fake after finishing behind the champion but I think behind closed doors they would be a little bit disappointed. If they could have scripted the race they would have wanted the cart on the back of Blacks A Fake but unfortunately for the punters he couldn't close the deal.

3. Smoken Up – He has now produced two memorable runs in defeat at Menangle. His run in the Miracle Mile was unbelievable after being savaged by Melpark Major and he was brave on Sunday after doing the lion's share of the work outside Washakie. Great effort but will he ever win a big one.

4. Changeover – The barrier draw turned out to be perfect for him. As a result he was driven cold and finished off stoutly to finish fourth. He came from well back and it's going to be a shame to see him retired soon.

5 Bondy – David Butt thought he should have finished third because he had a few traffic problems early in the straight. Had to be driven for a bit of luck after he went forward out of the gate and performed better than I thought he would. Was a good run.

6 Baileys Dream – I know Brendon Hill doesn't agree with me but I think he may have been cooked after his monstrous run on night one. He was only having his second run back and it was an absolute gut buster. Got the right run into the race but couldn't finish it off.

7 Atomic Ark – Performed up to what the stable would have expected. He was driven perfectly. Grant Dixon was able to dive to the pegs after 100 metres but the horse struggled when the speed went on. Did a great job to make the final.

8 Washakie – Led and was pressured by Smoken Up but was beaten too far from home. While he death seated in both of his Inter Dominion heats he wasn't really kicked out of the gate in either race and was given time to find his feet before being pushed forward. Was driven hard to lead and maybe that took its toll?

9 Mr Feelgood – Last year's winner was never a factor in the ID10 Grand Final. Settled a long way back and couldn't sprint with the big guns after settling behind them. Had his Australian day in the sun on the Gold Coast and it's hard to see him recapturing that form again.

10 Our Awesome Armbro – I think it's fair to say was the biggest disappointment in the race. Got the perfect run behind the leader and plenty of punters gave him a rough place chance but he was a beaten conveyance on the turn and struggled up the straight to be beaten 18 metres.

It was a great race and who knows whether NSW will ever host an Inter Dominion in the same format ever again. I would love to see a return to three heats and final but it seems the only state willing to run such a series is Western Australia. It's now time to concentrate on the Bathurst Gold Crown. The carnival begins Friday week and I'm looking forward to being there again. Catch you next week.