Sport
‘The best night’s racing we’re likely to see’: Shepparton prepares to host first Inter Dominion heat
The who’s who of Australian harness racing will descend on Shepparton Harness Racing Club on Tuesday night as it hosts its first Inter Dominion heat.
Making its return to Victoria after a four-year hiatus Shepparton plays host to the second round of Inter Dominion heats, with the first taking place at Ballarat on Saturday and the third scheduled for Geelong this Saturday.
Regarded as the toughest test in Australian harness racing the Inter Dominion has the best battle it out across three gruelling rounds of heats, which will all take place in regional Victoria for the first time.
From there the leading 12 in each pacing and trotting division win a place in Group One deciders, which will be run at Melton on Saturday, December 10.
Shepparton general manager Ian McDonald said the night would be the biggest in its history.
“From the point of view of the local harness community this is the pre-eminent event that they could get,” McDonald said.
“The Inter Dominion is something that has historically only been run at metro tracks, so for it to be taken to a regional track like Shepparton it is a landmark occasion for us.
“Having the best of the best coming to our track, it is going to be the best night’s racing the region is ever likely to see.”
With the event being taken to regional Victoria instead of the usual metro tracks, McDonald said Shepparton’s selection proved the club’s standing in the sport.
“We had to submit an expression of interest to host the event which highlighted our facility and we were lucky enough to be successful in getting the hosting rights,” he said.
“It’s an indication of our standing within the harness racing industry, it’s a great set-up here at Shepparton and is more than capable of hosting a large-scale like the Inter Dominion.
“Since we found out (we were successful) in November last year we have been hard at work preparing, so for it to finally be here it’s been a long time coming.”
An opportunity for the club to showcase its facilities on the national stage, he explained what punters could expect on Tuesday night.
“It is a chance to see the best horses in the world, so in terms of on the track it will be a night filled with action,” McDonald said.
“And then off the track there will be a great atmosphere with food trucks and live entertainment.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to have a fantastic night with their families and see some quality racing.”
As for what this means for the club moving forward, McDonald said he hoped hosting the Inter Dominion would lead to other top class harness events coming to town.
“You would hope this is the start of a great new era of harness racing here in Shepparton,” he said.
“Hopefully the fans come down in droves and experience this event and the nation takes notice of what a great facility we’ve got here.”