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Echuca’s cup tonight and an all-trotters meeting at Melton tomorrow night will keep harness racing fans busy and content this weekend.

Avenel trainer David Aiken will line up Smudge Bromac and Composed in the $25000 Echuca Pacing Cup and, from back row draws, they look each-way chances.

The Glenn Freeman-trained warhorse Baltic Ice, the recent Albury Cup winner has drawn the outside of the front row, but is capable of an upset.

Best of the frontline horses could be the Glenn Douglas-trained Jukebox Music and the Emma Stewart-trained Mister Sheedy, who are both normally reliable beginners from the standing start conditions.

Despite drawing the second row, the Kerryn Manning-trained and driven Our Blackbird is busting to win again and could be the horse to beat.

The bumper 12-race program at Echuca starts at 5.30pm with the final event at 11.02pm.

●The inaugural Great Southern Star meeting at Melton tomorrow night boasts an 11-race card exclusively for trotters.

Top Goulburn Valley trainers Chris Lang Sr and David Aiken will be to the fore, chasing some rich spoils at the meeting.

Aiken has the smart mare Cold Sister and Lang the promising four-year-old Aldebaran Shades engaged in the first of two $50000 heats of the Great Southern Star.

Lang will be represented by poleliner Aleppo Sunrise in the second heat, while rapidly rising star My High Expectations will also contest this heat for Aiken from barrier eight.

Both heats are over 1720m and are to be run at 7pm and 7.33pm, leaving finalists a gap of just on 2 hours until the $250000 final is decided at 10pm.

Aiken has a strong hand in the $10000 Princess of Speed 1720m dash for three-year-old trotting fillies at the meeting with his exciting trio of Spidergirl, Dizzyinterest and Vics Cheval engaged.