In 2007, the Braun-trained Flaming Roadstar won the Launceston Pacing Club's biggest race, only to lose it after returning a positive swab.

Second placegetter Mi Coconut suffered the same fate, leaving local hero Fleet Express, who was third across the line, as the winner.

Braun doesn't train any of the horses in Sunday night's $40,000 race but he does have a big interest in heat winner Rule Like A King.

He trained Rule Like A King before the gelding was sidelined by injury and his mother, Debra, is a part-owner.

Rule Like A King has been transferred to Beauty Point trainer Rohan Hillier for his Easter Cup campaign.

Hillier drove the five-year-old to an impressive heat win, leading for the last two laps of the race.

Rule Like A King won nine races in Victoria, including his last five starts in a row, before an 18-month absence from the track.

"He had soundness issues at the start of his four-year-old season, just after running in the Melton Plate," Braun explained.

"He wasn't feeling right and it turned out that he had a chip in his coffin bone joint.

"I gave him a longer spell than normal, because I was sidelined myself at the time, and it did him the world of good.

"He's a pretty nice horse and he's got a nice horse's record (11 wins from 29 starts)."

Braun said that Rule Like A King had been in work for a long time leading up to his return to the races.

"We had him in and out a few times and he did some work on the water-walker," the trainer said.

"But there's no substitute for racing and he'll improve on what he did (in his heat)."

Braun said that Rule Like A King was best suited when he could lead but it wasn't essential.

"He's gone 1:54 sitting in the death," the trainer said.

Barrier draw for the final -

1 Shanghai Knight, 2 Riverboat Jasper, 3 Tony Macarony, 4 The Majority, 5 Rule Like A King, 6 Washies Chance (em), 7 Call The Marshall, 8 Outrageous El, 9 Ardlussa Express, 10 Whodeani, 11 Black Centurian, 12 Truly Blissful, 13 Livin It Lovin It fr; 14 Star Chamber 30m; 15 Motu Crusader 40m.