Sunny future is assured for Inter Dominion

The iconic Inter Dominion harness racing series will move to Queensland for three years and get a major prize money boost from next year.

After the upcoming NSW series, which starts on November 29, Queensland has secured hosting rights for 2025, ’26, and ’27 at Albion Park, the home of harness racing.

As part of the Queensland deal, the pacing final purse will soar from $500,000 to $1 million, while the trotting series to be run in conjunction will be capped by a $400,000 final, up massively from $150,000.

In another major change, the Inter Dominion will shift to a new time slot as the centrepiece of the Queensland Constellations carnival in winter.

Next year’s finals will be run on July 19, meaning there will be two Inter Dominions within the next eight months.

Another key difference to the Inter Dominion, when it moves to Queensland, will be the switch from three rounds of qualifying heats to just two.

Interestingly, there will be a “golden ticket” element to the series with the winner of the Group 1 Rising Sun – should it be a four-year-old – getting a spot straight into the pacing final. The Rising Sun for three and four-year-old pacers will be run on the same night as the first round of qualifying heats.

“The Inter Dominion is steeped in tradition and boasts a long and storied history with Queensland,” Racing Queensland CEO Jason Scott said.  

“Our homegrown superstars like Blacks A Fake and Leap To Fame are synonymous with the series, and we are honoured to bring it back for a further three years as the centrepiece of the famous Queensland Constellations.”

“We’ve been able to secure the event for three years as a result of a collaboration between current host partners, Racing Queensland, Harness Racing Victoria, Harness Racing NSW and Club Menangle along with HRA.”

“The move from summer to winter will ensure Australasia’s best standardbreds are on show in what is set to be an exhibition of the best Queensland harness racing has to offer.”

Albion Park Chairman Greg Mitchell added: “The club expects to build on the outstanding legacy of the Inter Dominion and can’t wait to welcome the very best of harness action, including stars from Australia and New Zealand.”

Harness Racing Australia chairman Graeme Campbell OAM praised Queensland’s commitment to the great series.

“We are delighted to work with Racing Queensland and Albion Park to give the Inter Dominion a significant prize money increase and a fixed ‘home’ for three years from 2025 to 2027,” he said.

“The Queensland Constellations in winter has grown considerably in recent years with lots of innovation, and bringing the Inter Dominion into it will take it to another level.”

The Inter Dominion, first run in 1936, has been held in Queensland seven times.

Albion Park hosted last year’s series for the first time in 23 years, where champion local pacer Leap To Fame won the pacing final on December 15.

Queensland’s connection with the Inter Dominion runs deep, with the mighty Blacks A Fake being the only four-time winner of the pacing final. Remarkably, he contested six finals for four wins (2006, ’07, ’08 and 2010) and finished second in 2009 and 2011.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia