by Adam Hamilton

Down Under’s most iconic event, the Inter Dominion, is just weeks away.

The two-week series has had a makeover and a significant prize money injection, headlined by a $1 million pacing final and $500,000 trotting final. Both are at Brisbane’s Albion Park on July 19.

The grueling format of three rounds of qualifying heats into the grand finals has been reduced — as much to suit the modern breed — to just two rounds of heats. The first round is on July 5.

The two divisions could not be more different.

In the pacing series, it is all about the amazing Leap To Fame. He’s aiming for his second Inter Dominion title, having won the last final Brisbane hosted back in December 2023.

Even bigger, victory in the final will make Leap To Fame the richest Down Under pacer of all time.

That’s some feat if he can do it.

And Leap To Fame is a raging hot favorite to do so. Even this far out, he’s only paying $1.40 for a $1 bet.

If there is a danger, the only possible one looks to come from the horse who upstaged him in the Miracle Mile in March, Don Hugo.

But the Inter Dominion final is no mile race. In fact, the daunting distance of 3,157 meters makes it almost two miles.

And Leap To Fame has easily beaten home Don Hugo in their two clashes beyond a mile.

Throw in the fact that this series is in Leap To Fame’s backyard and entirely run at his favorite track and it really is his series to lose.

Then there is the trotting series.

What a contrasting story and what a difference 12 months makes.

The champ has retired. The mighty Just Believe, who won the 2022 and 2023 finals, ran his last race late last year when injuries finally started to catch up with him.

The Locomotive, who made the most of Just Believe’s absence, to win last December’s Sydney Inter Dominion in dominant fashion, is missing.

The 5-year-old is in Sweden where he ran sixth in a heat of the iconic Elitloppet late last month and tackles his second Swedish race, the Stora Pris, in Boden this weekend.

The young star, Keayang Zahara, isn’t going to this Brisbane series.

She won her 15 starts and then tasted defeat for the first time when run down late by Susan Is Her Name and had to be content with second placing in the Group 1 Macarthur Mile at Menangle on May 10.

The return trip to Sydney and hard run in near national record time knocked her around, so connections have decided to give her an easier 2025 and build towards the mega races next year.

She’s just 4 and is worth the investment of time now.

Susan Is Her Name won’t be there, either. She suffered a broken hock soon after ending Keayang Zahara’s streak and is recovering.

Keayang Zahara’s stablemate, Keayang Chucky, who finished second to The Locomotive in last year’s final, is another notable absentee this year. He’s having a break after a busy start to the year.

It leaves a fascinating jigsaw puzzle of veterans, injury-plagued stars, emerging talents and enigmas.

This is one tricky trotting series to predict.

If there is a top seed, it is probably Arcee Phoenix. Chris Svanosio’s stable star has always looked like the next trotting star.

After finishing fourth behind Just Believe, Callmethebreeze and Queen Elida in the 2024 TAB Trot in Cambridge, NZ, he returned this year and won it.

The knockers will say it was a much easier race with the likes of Just Believe and Callmethebreeze not in it, but there’s no doubt Arcee Phoenix is a more complete package now.

The race Arcee Phoenix won back on April 4 could be the making of him.

Although he hasn’t raced since, Arcee Phoenix turned plenty of heads with a sparkling Melton trial win last Tuesday.

He left Callmethebreeze in his wake, adding to the query around the former multiple European Group 1 winner and 2024 Great Southern Star champion.

The entire has not raced since ongoing hoof issues flared again last November. In the words of trainer Andy Gath: “He’s giving us our share of challenges.”

Gath has produced some remarkable training feats over the years, if he can peak Callmethebreeze in time and win this trotting final, it may top them all.

Then there is old Oscar Bonavena. Finally, as a 9-year-old, one of the fastest and most talented trotters this part of the world has seen, will tackle his first Inter Dominion series.

It’s remarkable to think he won a support race on the night his then stablemate, Winterfell, won the 2019 Auckland Inter Dominion final.

Despite a string of injuries, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Purdon and his son, Nathan, have decided to give this Brisbane series a crack with old Oscar.

“Cutting it back from three rounds of heats to just two was a big part of the decision,” Nathan Purdon said. “He just seems so well in himself, we felt we had to give it a crack.”

Mark Purdon already holds the training and driving records in Inter Dominion finals with nine and seven, respectively.

It’s great to have him back part of the series, having not done so since he co-trained both the pacing (Ultimate Sniper) and trotting finals in 2019 with then partner, Natalie Rasmussen.

The other big gun Kiwi in the series is young gun Bet N Win. He’s a 5-year-old with it all ahead of him.

Bet N Win essentially booked his trip to Brisbane when he returned to his best and brilliantly won the time-honored Rowe Cup in Auckland, last month.

Some say he might be a year away on the score of maturity, but as outlined, this series is up for grabs.

The other key players look to be Gus and London To A Brick.

Both ooze talent, but have their quirks.

Gus and London To A Brick contested last December’s Sydney Inter Dominion, but made mistakes and were scratched during the qualifying heats.

This will be Gus’ third Inter Dominion. He ran 10th when raw and almost uncontrollable in the 2023 series won by Just Believe.

Other than Oscar Bonavena, there is no more explosive trotter in this year’s series.

London To A Brick, who boasts 15 wins from just 36 starts, has built superbly this campaign and looks back to his best at the right time.

Arcee Phoenix is the trotter with the least question marks, but there is such a mix of talent, any of the six key players of the series could win it.

And that’s exciting.