Sushi Sushi ($1.04 favourite) did as he liked as he crushed his rivals in a free-for-all, 2240m.

The four-year-old was nowhere near top gear as he ran home his last 400m in 27.8 to rate 1:54.9 and finish 12m clear of New Zealand visitor Pembrook Henry ($164).

The biggest question in Australasian racing – all codes – still remained last night though.

Will Sushi Sushi tackle the group 1 $125,000 PETstock Ballarat Pacing Cup next Saturday night?

Speculation has been rife.

Connections committed six days ago to a Ballarat start.

Word from Melton last night though was that a final decision will be made tomorrow.

If Sushi Sushi does venture to Bray Raceway for the biggest assignment of his career, he will run into a crack field featuring champion Smoken Up and possibly once NZ sensation Auckland Reactor.

Harness Racing Victoria’s Jason Bonnington last night confirmed on Twitter that trainer Mark Purdon was heading to Ballarat with Auckland Reactor for either the Cup or the Pure Steel.

Auckland Reactor has had only four starts in Australia.

He went into the 2009 Inter-Dominion Pacing Championship on the Gold Coast considered almost unbeatable, but bombed out in the final. The seven-year-old son of Mach Three finished sixth in the Miracle Mile the same year in his only other run.

Purdon has set the winner of 28 races and $1.5 million for the Inter-Dominion in Perth, determined to make amends for his failure three years ago. Auckland Reactor has not raced since winning on October 24, having suffered a leg injury before the New Zealand Cup.

Auckland Reactor was the Sushi Sushi of his year in NZ.

He was unbeaten in 11 starts in his his debut season as three-year-old and went on to win 17 in a row.

He could be one of four New Zealanders in the Ballarat Pacing Cup. Gold Ace, Highview Tommy and Pembrook Benny are committed to clashing with the likes of Smoke Up at Bray Raceway.