The much-travelled six-year-old, who is trained by the state's leading trainer Julie Douglas and was brilliantly driven by Glenn Douglas, made it back-to-back wins by outclassing a strong field of NR 90 to 105 performers over the 2100m trip.

It came hot on the heels of a win at Bendigo's Lord's Raceway earlier this month.

Vandanta, the son of Christian Cullen, is not long back in Victoria, having only returned to the Douglases in late May following a 12-month stint in New South Wales.

There's no doubt he has re-emerged as a stronger, fitter and more capable pacer after notching his second win in five starts back on Victorian soil.

After finishing well down the field in his first two starts back in June, Glenn Douglas said Vandanta had served notice with a courageous third at free for all level at Melton behind Max Delight, who finished third in the Group 3 Vic Frost FFA at Menangle on Saturday night, and Shadow Sax.

"He really did hit the line well that night and put the writing on the wall going into Bendigo," he said post-race on Trots Vision.

"They were pretty smart horses there a couple of runs back at Melton and he went three back on the fence and relaxed beautifully and accelerated home.

"He is the type of horse we can rush off the gate and then he drops the bit straight away. There's no fighting him and we can make decisions."

A stirring win, with the promise of brighter performances ahead, boosted Vandanta's record to 21 wins and 45 placings from 138 starts for earnings of $266,735.

Four of his wins were achieved during his 31-race stint north of the border.

With Vandanta's rating continuing to rise, the Douglases are now hoping their resurgent pacer can establish himself as a regular competitive force at free for all level.

"There's still options though, we do love getting up to Mildura, and he is the type of horse that will get around an 80-metre track, he said.

"He might have a go at Bernie's title.

"Look, he'll keep running around in the free for alls here, hopefully this time in he measures up to them and really shows us what he can do."

There appears to be no stopping the Douglas stable at the moment, with the team producing a Victorian-leading 87 winners and 106 minor placings through the first six and a half months of the 2021 season.

Six of those winners have come since Thursday, starting with a double at Echuca with Western Ricki and Ozzie Joy.

A combined three winners on Friday at Melton and Mildura was highlighted by a double at Victorian harness racing headquarters with stable newcomer Chasing A Hat Trick and Junior Feelgood.

Douglas nominated the former Kiwi pacer Khaki Nui, who racked up a third-straight win with his victory on Friday at Mildura, as one of the most exciting prospects in the stable.

"I have a big rap on him - I like the horse. I really like the way he goes about his stuff," he said.

"Behind him, there is a group of them, but the standout is Khaki Nui. He's an up and comer."

The multiple state premiership-winning trainer predicted more good times ahead with the prolific Bernie Winkle, who has seemingly effortlessly racked up 13 wins and four placings from 18 starts at Mildura this season, and has established himself as the record holder at the City Oval Paceway with 32 wins in total.

"He's a marvel. His legs are sound ... he has a few little problems with his feet, but nothing we can't manage over time.

"I can see him rolling on for some time because he is the type of horse we don't have to work too hard at home and we certainly don't have to at the racetrack. He's going to keep on keeping on."

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