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The Inter Dominion Championship is one of
the world's great harness racing series and remains the premier
harness racing event in Australasia. The Championship is overseen by
the Inter Dominion Events Committee (IDEC), now a committee of
Harness Racing Australia, which is responsible for the governance
and long-term direction of the series.
First established in 1935-36, the Championship’s basic protocol of
three heats and a final remained unchanged until 2008, when a bold
initiative linked the format with the Australasian Grand Circuit.
While innovative, the change did not gain widespread support and,
following several format variations between 2009 and 2011, the
traditional three heats and a final structure was reinstated in
2012.
Between 2013 and 2015, a revised approach saw
seven qualifying heats conducted concurrently across major tracks in
Australia and New Zealand in an effort to revitalise the series,
with the Trotting Championship discontinued during this period
Historically, the Inter Dominion Championships rotated annually
between the Australian states and New Zealand. From 2013 to 2015,
the Pacers Championship was awarded to New South Wales before moving
to Western Australia from 2015 to 2017, where the traditional three
heats and a final format was revived. Since then, hosting rights
have been allocated by IDEC, with the Championships continuing to be
staged at leading Australian and New Zealand venues, including the
reinstated Trotting Championship.
Queensland was awarded a three-year hosting agreement from 2025 to
2027, with a $1 million Pacing Final and a $500,000 Trotting
Final.
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