Racing Queensland has unveiled the race conditions ahead of the Inter Dominion Championship’s return to the Sunshine State.
Staged from July 5-19, the Inter Dominion will headline the Queensland Constellations for the next three years, with two rounds of heats before the respective finals close out the carnival.
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, with $500,000 on offer in the Final – making it the richest trotting feature in the nation.
In a change from previous iterations, ID25 will comprise of two rounds of heats for both pacers (36-horse series) and trotters (24-horse series), with the first round commencing July 5 – the same evening as the $300,000 Group 1 The Rising Sun.
The second round of heats will take place on July 12 alongside the $500,000 Group 1 The Protostar slot race for two-year-olds before the two Finals take centre stage one week later on July 19.
The minimum prize money guarantee – co-funded by RQ, HRA, HRNZ and APHRC – will be available once again for horses who complete either the Trotting or Pacing Championship, with $7,500 on offer for interstate and overseas horses, as well as $3,500 for locally trained standardbreds.
Horses will enter the series ranked in the following descending order:
- Winners of any Australian Grand Circuit race from July 1, 2024;
- Winners of open age Australian and New Zealand Group 1 races, excluding races restricted by class or sex, from July 1, 2024;
- Horses ranked in order of entry at the discretion of Racing Queensland Handicappers, in consultation with a member of the Albion Park Harness Racing Club, based primarily on form in the last twelve months, including feature races; and
- The ranking order of horses with no or limited exposed form in the last 12 months may be determined based on form in the last 10 starts.
There will be added incentive for the winner of The Rising Sun, who will progress straight through to the Inter Dominion Pacing Final, subject to the following conditions:
- Must be a 4YO;
- Acceptance to compete in the ID25 Grand Final must be received by RQ by Wednesday, July 9 at 12pm – including payment of all applicable fees; and
- The horse must start in the Kevin Thomas 4YO race on July 12. Should the Kevin Thomas 4YO race not go ahead for any reason the horse must start in another race scheduled on the July 12 program.
If the Rising Sun winner takes their spot in the Pacing Championship, a field of 13 (no emergencies) will be declared.
In addition to points being awarded based on finishing position, bonus points will also be offered in each race as follows:
- Two bonus points for the horse that records the fastest individual last half;
- One bonus point for the horse that records the fastest individual last quarter; and
- One bonus point for the horse that records the fastest individual last mile.
The make-up of heat fields will be as follows:
- Round 1 seeded in accordance with final rankings;
- Round 2 random allocation; and
- Across all heats trainer, driver and owner splits will not apply.
Nominations close at 12 noon on Wednesday, April 30, with first and final acceptances at 10am Monday, June 30.
- Click here for the full conditions for the Pacing Championship.
- Click here for the full conditions for the Trotting Championship.
