Stawell-trained The Penny Drops has qualified as favourite for the final of the Inter Dominion Trotting Championship

The Penny Drops, trained by 66-year-old Stawell truck driver Ray Harvey, has qualified for the deciding race in Menangle, which is one of the richest harness races in Australasia.

The prize money pocketed by the winner is a cool $150, 000.

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Not only has The Penny Drops qualified for the final but it is also the favourite to take out the race at the time of publishing. It sits just ahead of Pink Galahs in second and Maori law in third.

In the first heat of the series at Menangle on November 27 the trotter came second, before finishing fifth in the second at Bathurst on December 1.

In the final heat on December 5 in Newcastle, the six-year-old impressed by crossing the line first.

After the race reinsman, Grant Campbell spoke of his decision not to go to the death chair early in the race and instead stay in fifth until late.

"He races well from the death and would have been quite happy there, but we stayed where we were and got the job done," Campbell said.

The Penny Drops has had 15 wins in total for Ray including the Kilmore Trotters Cup which it won in September 2021.

After that victory, Campbell was full of praise for Harvey and his work with the horse.

"It's a real credit to Ray, he's taken his time with this horse," he told TrotsVision.

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"He's always had good ability, but he's just taken him nice and slowly, took him across to Adelaide a few times for the distance races, it's really helped him develop into the horse that he is."

Harvey has two harness horses in work - the other being Down Under Earl - and is considered a hobby trainer.

Down Under Earl has five wins from 50 starts.

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