By Michael Guerin
The Inter Dominion is set to make a shock return to New Zealand with Alexandra Park almost certain to host the series.
Harness racing’s glamour event hasn’t been held in New Zealand since 2011 and was thought to be lost to this country forever after neither Addington or Alexandra Park expressed interest in holding it again when the series went up for three-year tender in 2012.
Since then it has been held at Menangle for three years and completes its third year in Perth this December but Harness Racing New Zealand understands it will return to Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland on rotation from next year.
While harness racing bosses won’t confirm the move, the reality is the series will either start that three-year rotation — probably Melbourne next year, then Auckland and ending in Sydney — or disappear.
Tenders for the rights to hold the series closed this week and West Australia did not put in a bid.
South Australia and Tasmania can’t afford to hold the series and Queensland didn’t join in on the joint Victoria-NSW-New Zealand bid as the state goes through some transitions.
So with the tender being the only option for the Inter Dominion council, they either approve that bid or the historic series, often seen at the pinnacle of harness racing’s trans-tasman rivalry, will cease to exist.
The New Zealand third of the bid is being led by Harness Racing New Zealand and they have asked the Auckland Trotting Club whether they will host it at Alexandra Park, almost certainly in 2019.
ATC president Bruce Carter has confirmed his club are keen as long as the funding numbers add up.
Addington bosses were understood not to be keen to host the series yet as it will remain in the late November-December time slot, which would be too close to their New Zealand Cup meeting, starting two weeks after the NZ Free-For-All.
The three-way joint venture has been led by Harness Racing New South Wales and would likely see two rounds of heats and a Grand Final, which in Auckland’s case would probably all be on Friday nights.
While exact stake levels are still a way off being finalised, it is believed the Final stake at Auckland at least could be $500,000, although the ATC may be in a position to boost that by the time the series comes around.
While the Inter Dominion sits alongside the Miracle Mile and New Zealand Cup as harness racing’s biggest brand in this part of the world, it has struggled for traction in the last decade.
It used to rotate around the Australian states, Addington and Alexandra Park, with each state or club contributing to the overall expenses every year, money which came back to them when it was their turn to host.
But with several Australian states, and at times the two New Zealand clubs, struggling with those financial obligations, the series went up for tender on a three-year basis.
The return of the series to Auckland would be timely.
Alexandra Park is in a vastly superior financial position to what it was when they stepped into host the 2011 series under Addington’s banner just weeks after the horrific Christchurch earthquakes in February of that year.
HRNZ boss Edward Rennell says Addington haven’t ruled out hosting the series again should the new three-organisation bid become the long-term future of the series, while it is understood Queensland could also be keen to be involved in a future rotation.
But the series coming to Auckland would set up a dream two months of harness racing in New Zealand, with Australasia’s best pacers able to come for the NZ Cup carnival, Inter Dominion and stay for the Auckland Cup on December 31.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
