Trot Rods series revs up for 2023 return

The scintillating Trot Rods series will make its highly anticipated return to Redcliffe this evening.

Staged over six weeks, the series will again be raced over the unique 947-metre distance – one of the shortest in the world – with a $10,000 cash bonus and Otto Tuza 3 horse float on offer for the quickest lap across the 20 heats.

Throughout April and May, ‘The Triangle’ will host weekly heats each Wednesday, culminating in a finale night on Wednesday May 24, which will be isolated to 10 Trot Rods races and showcased on SKY 2 coverage via Foxtel, along with standard coverage on SKY 1.

The fourth iteration of the series, which is known for its innovative broadcast enhancements, will again utilise concepts including driver cam, drone race footage, a time-to-beat line and caller-to-driver audio.

New enhancements to this year’s series include the addition of telemetry to live driver cam footage and a time-to-beat chicklet to the virtual track positioning graphic displayed live on Sky Racing.

Racing Queensland Acting CEO Adam Wallish said that the Trot Rods series continued to be well-supported by both participants and punters.

“Now in its fourth year, Trot Rods continues to show harness racing to a broader demographic outside of the sport’s usual audience both in Queensland and nation-wide,” Wallish said.

“In addition, the series continues to provide us with a great testing ground for new initiatives and enhancements, as we continue to explore new products and ways of presentation to engage new fans.

“The series has continued to grow exponentially over its first three years, with more than $3.4 million wagered on the finale night in 2022, making it the second highest Wednesday meeting of all-time.

“Trot Rods continues to raise the benchmark for broadcast innovations in the sport, and we are looking forward to seeing the addition of live telemetry and enhanced virtual graphics to the coverage.”

In 2022, the fastest lap time was broken on no less than five occasions over the six-week series, with interstate driver Cam Harts storming home at the Redcliffe circuit behind Just Dessy in the 18^th heat.

Just Dessy’s 63.46-second hot lap also set a new record as the fastest time recorded in the series’ history.

Queensland will have its strongest contingent of drivers yet looking to break that record on finale night, headlined by the current leading Australian and reigning Redcliffe premiership driver Nathan Dawson.

They will face off against an interstate challenger and two drivers (one male and one female), who will be selected by the public in an online vote, as well as an RQ representative.

A live draft (televised live via SKY 2 on May 22 from 7pm) will give each of the five drivers the opportunity to select their own horse across each heat for the feature final evening. 

The draft order – determined by a random ballot – provides each driver with two opportunities to select first, second, third, fourth and fifth.

“We are proud and honoured to once again be hosting the Trot Rods series in 2023, in conjunction with Racing Queensland,” Redcliffe Harness Racing Club President Bernie Ring said.

“The concept continues to be a game-changer for harness racing with regards to the initiatives and the viewing experience.

“We look forward to welcoming everyone to the track over the course of the series, and especially to the finale night on May 24, which has proven in previous years to be the unmissable showpiece of the event.”

The maximum field size throughout the promotion will again be limited to five, with an emergency to be drawn.

Angus Garrard was the leading driver for the 2022 series, with seven wins over the 20 heats, while Trent Moffat led the way for the trainers with three successes.

Click here for more information on Trot Rods.