Australasia’s premier harness racing event will headline the Queensland Constellations Carnival for the next three years.
In a major coup, the Inter Dominion Championship will call the Sunshine State home from 2025 to 2027, acting as the centrepiece for the nation’s most exciting and innovative winter carnival.
As part of the innovation, the Pacing Championship is set to double in prize money, with more than $1.2 million on offer – including a $1 million Final in 2025.
The Trotters Championship will also receive a significant uplift, rising to half-a-million dollars in total stakes with $400,000 on offer in the Final.
Dates for the 2025 series have also been set, with the respective finals to be run on Saturday, July 19 at Albion Park.
The first of two heat rounds of heats will take place on July 5 in line with the Group 1 The Rising Sun, with the second set of qualifiers on July 12 – the same night as the Ladbrokes Protostar.
In another first, should a four-year-old win The Rising Sun, they will be offered a golden ticket into the Pacing Championship Final.
“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 our famous Queensland Constellations.
“We’ve been able to secure the event for three years as a result of collaboration between current host partners, RQ, HRV, HRNSW 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 our Queensland harness racing industry has to offer.”
The Inter Dominion returned to Brisbane last year where Queensland’s own champion Leap To Fame solidified his status as the nation’s premier pacer with a dominant victory in the Pacing Championship.
In the Trotters Final, Just Believe claimed back-to-back championships in effortless style.
Albion Park Harness Racing Club Chairman Greg Mitchell said that The Creek is delighted to be the home of the Inter Dominion for three years from July, 2025.
“ID23 at The Creek was an incredible event both on and off the track, with two champions of our sport, Leap To Fame and Just Believe, proving their mettle,” Mr Mitchell said.
“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, featuring stars from Australia and New Zealand.
“The Creek will be the place to be next July, as the Club welcomes harness racing enthusiasts from both sides of the Tasman.”
As a result, the Queensland Harness Summer Season will take new shape, with the state’s annual Grand Circuit event, the Blacks A Fake, will serve as the flagship event of a reimagined schedule.
A number of other features including the Sunshine Sprint, The Great Square and several Redcliffe Harness Racing Club events – headlined by the Patron’s Purse – will also make the move to the summer.
Further information around the 2025 Inter Dominion, as well as a detailed Queensland Constellations schedule will be available in early 2025.
Click here for more information on the new-look Queensland feature racing calendar.