Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

2010 Inter-Dominion Launches

February 15, 2010

A WHO’S who of the pacing industry attended the launch of one of Australasia’s foremost events, the Inter-Dominion, at the new and stylish Harrington Grove Country Club last Wednesday.

For the first time in its 68-year history, the final of the prestigious $1 million event, described as the backbone of the harness racing industry in Australia, will be held outside a metropolitan track.

The two rounds of heats are scheduled for Harold Park this Friday and at Newcastle on February 27, with the final at Tabcorp Park Menangle on March 7. Sport and Racing Minister Kevin Greene officially launched the 2010 Watpac Inter-Dominion, saying the race was something the industry was rightly proud of, as was NSW as the host this year.

“It’s not just about the quality racers but very much the personality and excitement of the event,” he said.

The Inter-Dominion returns to NSW after a nine-year absence, much to the delight of the NSW Harness Racing Club which has pumped millions into the redevelopment of Tabcorp Park Menangle to make it one of the best tracks in the southern hemisphere.

The history of the race was the talking point at the 2010 launch, and attributed as the foundation for the strength and popularity of the current event.

Brian Forrester, who won the 1966 crown behind Chamfer’s Star, was a popular guest with a few tales to tell.

“Chamfer’s Star wasn’t a great horse and I wasn’t a great horseman. I just had the right horse in the right place at the right time,” he said.

His favourite this year, he said, was New Zealander Smoken Up.

“I think it has the right genes to get through the heats and the final,” he said. “It think it’s a wonderful horse but there’s also some other wonderful horses in the field.”

Leading trainer Paul Fitzpatrick concurred about the strong field for ID10. “(And) Menangle Park opens the field wide up,” he said of the 1400m circuit.