Where do we stand with our upcoming carnivals?

These certainly are strange and challenging times.

With no signs of the pandemic easing in NSW and Victoria, there’s been lots of talk about what it means for the massively boosted Victoria Cup Carnival and NSW Inter Dominion series.

While it’s important to pause and assess things, the show will and must go on.

If that means both carnivals being less than what we hoped, then so be it.

The reality is, we’ll still have great racing. The horses can still get to Victoria or NSW, albeit many will need to do so without their regular trainers, handlers or even drivers in many cases.

Racing has played such a huge role in getting us through the mundaneness of lockdown and restrictions. It’s given us something to look forward to.

Let’s start with the Victoria Cup Carnival first.

It’s just around the corner and moving the Victoria Derby and Oaks to be part of it is just sensational.

The $80,000 Group 2 Kilmore Cup is only 25 days away and the heats of the Derby and Oaks a week after that.

Getting Kiwis across for this Carnival won’t be easy regardless COVID-19 because it falls so close to the iconic NZ Cup Carnival – the Holy Grail of NZ harness racing.

But Cran Dalgety has flagged a probable Victoria Derby and Breeders Crown raid with his young gun, Krug. Travel logistics will probably decide whether that still happens.

We know WA’s dominant Greg and Skye Bond barn wants to chase the Victorian riches with a handful of its stars, but that’s in limbo with strict travel restrictions almost certain to still be in place.

Team McCarthy sent many of its stars down, headed by King Of Swing, in the midst of COVID-19 for last year’s Victoria Cup Carnival and you can expect the same, but how many and who drives them is the question.

Much like the Victorian Spring Carnival for thoroughbreds, where interstate jockeys won’t be able to compete, the travel restrictions will see more opportunities for Victorian drivers during the Victoria Cup Carnival. There’s something refreshing about that.

And, thankfully, Victoria itself is crammed with stars and emerging talent right now so we’ll have plenty to get excited about.

Now to the Inter Dominion.

It’s highly commendable the Menangle chief Bruce Christison and the team at HRNSW have come out and declared the sport’s best-known event will go-ahead.

“We simply have to run it this year, unless there’s a state government ruling which means we can’t,” Christison said.

“Part of the reason we joined the hosting roster was to protect the brand and history of the Inter Dominion, which is so important to the industry.

“If we knew last year, when we postponed it, that we’d still be in this position 12 months later, then we’d have gone ahead and run it then.

“We can’t push it back again. We haven’t had an Inter Dominion in Australia since Melbourne in late 2018. I know it was run in Auckland a year later, but it didn’t get much cut-through over here. We need to get the brand back out there, even if it comes at an extra cost to us.”

It is looking increasingly likely the plans to “share” the series around regional centres with qualifying heats scheduled for Bathurst and Newcastle will be thwarted.

There will be as many happy as disappointed with that, especially most trainers.

Menangle is the perfect venue with its on-course stabling, training facilities and somewhat remote location.

It’s almost a hub within itself.

The question will be how many of our stars – horses and participants – will miss the series because it falls into the too hard basket.

Many owners and trainers will likely need to send their prized horses to other caretaker trainers, or commit to huge chunks of time away and in quarantine afterwards, to be part of it.

What makes the thought process harder is how early in the season the Inter Dominion falls – well before other major open-class races like the rich WA features in January, Hunter Cup in February and Miracle Mile in March.

Owners, trainers and drivers have the big decisions to make in coming weeks, but the fans still have plenty to look forward to.

By Adam Hamilton via thetrots.com.au