Those months of planning will finally come to fruition at Tabcorp Park Melton on Friday night when the son of Muscle Hill and the mare Abandoned Annie contests the $100,000 Group 1 Vicbred Super Series Final for four-year-old entires and geldings.

Crossland is aiming to avenge the disappointment of last year's Vicbred tilt, when Rules Dont Apply lost all hope of victory by galloping in the three-year-old colts and geldings final, before making up a tonne of ground to finish sixth behind the Michael Hughes-trained and Rodney Petroff-driven Is That A Bid.

The astute young horseman vowed then and there to be back with a vengeance.

On Friday night that opportunity arrives.

A $9 chance in last year's final, Rules Dont Apply looks even better placed to deliver Crossland a well-deserved and hard-earned Group 1 success, rated second favourite in early TAB betting at $2.80 behind only Powderkeg ($2.50).

Crossland said despite a few hiccups along the journey, he will head to Melton confident of a big performance with his stable's star.

Read more: Rules Dont Apply storms into Vicbred Super Series final

"It's a big race and everyone likes to be confident going into a big race, you just need to be aware of your dangers and what your horse can do and what the others can't do and let it unfold," he said.

"I know my horse is well and we have been training for it for 12 months.

"Getting to the last couple of days of planning, there's no need for panic stations, it's all rosy at this point.

"(The past 12 months) have all been about this day."

Rules Dont Apply will go into the race fourth up from a spell.

He returned to racing in November with a convincing victory in the Elmore Trotters Cup at Bendigo, before breaking at Melton 11 days later and finishing 11th.

The gelding, who has won seven of 20 careers starts and been placed three times, returned to his best with a powerful and dominant VSS heat win on December 21, with Crossland confident he can carry that form into the final.

"We've had a couple of hiccups along the way, but because it's been 12 months in the planning, those hiccups were when you would have liked them to be, or when they needed to be if you were going to have them," he said.

Crossland is unperturbed by the draw, with Rules Dont Apply starting from gate 11, with his main rival Powderkeg on his outside and the other top fancy Cover of Darkness in eight.

"Our main dangers haven't drawn too flash either, but what I like about my horse is that he is fairly versatile," he said.

"In all honesty, I think he's only ever led three times in a race, perhaps four. The rest of his good wins have been coming from behind.

"I'm not too concerned about being off the second line, he's a good sit-sprinter and he can stay. He's very versatile."

A two-time Group 1 winner during his training career, Crossland is yet to tick off a Vicbred Super Series triumph, but gets arguably his best chance of doing so this time around.

The Emma Stewart-trained A Cover of Darkness, who is part-owned locally by Bendigo harness racing identity Alan Prentice and his Melbourne-based son Ben, will also be out for Vicbred redemption.

The 2020 Breeders Crown champion started last year's three-year-old final as the $2 favourite, but was never a factor after breaking at the start before finishing last.

Manners were again an issue for A Cover of Darkness when he finished third behind Rules Dont Apply in their Vicbred heat after breaking at the start and racing roughly throughout.

Read more: Prentices savour huge Breeders Crown win

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