Although trots racing in Australia is not as dominant as its thoroughbred counterpart, there is still a lot of interest generated by the exciting sport and its major series of feature races each year.
Inter Dominion Series:
Developed in 1935-36 the Inter Dominion Series is the premier trotting event in Australia and New Zealand, attracting thousands of spectators each year to witness the best Standardbreds compete for the title at the Championship final. The series is held at a different location each year and the trotting series consits of a series of semi-final races worth approx. $40 000 followed by a final worth a lucrative $250 000.
Recent Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Winners:
2009 – Sundons Gift
2008 – Galleons Sunset
2007 – Uncle Petrika
2006 – Delft
2005 – Play On
2004 – Sumthingaboutmaori
2003 – Take A Moment
2002 – Game Bid
2001 – Take A Moment
2000 – Lyell Creek
1999 – Special Force
Barastoc Trotters Grand Circuit Series:
The Barastoc Trotters Grand Circuit Series is a prestigious high-performance harness racing series which includes 9 Group 1 harness races for trotting horses. The entire series carries a total prize money of more than $1.5 million. In each leg of the Trotters Grand Circuit, there are different prize purses, varying from $50,000 to $250,000. The locations of the races also vary from Addington in New Zealand to Tabcorp Park in Victoria.
The races included in the 2009/2010 Barastock Trotters Grand Circuit Series are:
Date |
Race Name |
Stakes |
Club |
| 10/11/2009 | First Sovereign Trust NZ Trotting FFA | $100,000 | Addington (NZ) |
| 13/11/2009 | Hellers Dominion | $250,000 | Addington (NZ) |
| 4/12/2009 | Australian Trotting Grand Prix (TM0+) | $100,000 | Tabcorp Park (VIC) |
| 11/12/2009 | Bill Collins Trotters Sprint (TM0+) | $50,000 | Tabcorp Park (VIC) |
| 31/12/2009 | National Trot | $100,000 | Alexandra Park (NZ) |
| 8/01/2010 | V L Dullard Trotters Cup ? Final (TM0+ DH) | $50,000 | Tabcorp Park (VIC) |
| 6/02/2010 | Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final (Open TM0+) | $250,000 | Moonee Valley (VIC) |
| 9/04/2010 | Garry Thompson/Fred Shaw NZ Trotting Championship | $100,000 | Addington (NZ) |
| 7/05/2010 | Rowe Cup | $250,000 | Alexandra Park (NZ) |
Other Feature Trotting Races:
Across Australia, there are also a range of other feature and group races held throughout the year. The events are classified by the age of the horses allowed to participate. They are divided into Open Trotters, 4yo Trotters, 3yo Trotters and 2yo Trotters races.
The most prestigious Open Trotters event is the $50 000 Group 1 NSW Trotters Mile, while a well-known 4yo Trotting race is the $50 000 Group 1 Australasian Breeders Crown Final in Victoria.
The three-year-old trotters have the largest number of scheduled events annually, including the $75 000 Group 1 Victoria Trotters Derby Final and the $90 000 Group 1 Australasian Breeders Crown Final at Victoria’s Tabcorp Park.
Types of feature trotting races include Derbies, Oaks, Sprints, Cups & Mile events.
The most lucrative and anticipated of all these races are those with Group status. There are over 40 Group 1, 2 and 3 trotting races held right accross Australian and New Zealand each season.
