Kiwi trotters back in force for 2025 Inter Dominion harness racing series
For a long time the Kiwis 'owned' the Inter Dominion trotting series, winning 18 of the 23 finals from Yankee Loch in 1989 to I Can Doosit in 2012.
Champions like Lyell Creek (2000), Pride Of Petite (1996 & '97), Take A Moment (2001 & '03) and I Can Doosit (2011 & '11) led the New Zealand dominance.
But the ride has turned in recent years with Aussies winning five of the past six finals.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
It's been due to pandemic and a date change causing less Kiwi interest in the great race, but also by the dominance of Australia's champion Just Believe, who won the crown in 2022 and 2023.
But the Kiwis are back in force for this revamped and enriched Brisbane series, which starts on Saturday week and culminates with a $500,000 final at Albion Park on July 19.
While there are only two Kiwis in the trotting series, they are two of the biggest players in Bet N Win and Oscar Bonavena.
And both have already snared wins in Australia in the build-up.
Oscar Bonavena won brilliantly at Albion Park last Saturday week, then ran some sparkling closing times to finish a close second at the same track last night.
Bet N Win, who only arrived in Australia last Tuesday, opened his campaign when he hardly raised to a sweat to cruise to victory at Menangle last night.
Bet N Win NZ dominates the Ainsworth - https://t.co/mAbIve6hIO Trotters Mobile.ðŸ'¥ðŸ¥‡
The New Zealand visitor trained by David and Stacey White and driven by Bob Butt trotted to victory by 5.9 metres in a mile rate of 1.58.6 over the 2300 metres.
Congratulations.ðŸ'� pic.twitter.com/Vaz89H1za1
— Club Menangle (@ClubMenangle) June 21, 2025
They are trying to become the first Kiwi to win the Inter Dominion trotting crown since Winterfell did with the home ground advantage in the 2019 Auckland series.
The last Kiwi to win the final in Australia was I Can Doosit at the now defunct Moonee Valley track way back in 2012.
Bet N Win and Oscar Bonavena make for a fascinating contrast, but little separates their chances in Brisbane.
Bet N Win in the young buck, a five-year-old who has raced just 23 times for 13 wins.
Oscar Bonavena is most likely in his last year of racing as a nine-year-old, who boasts 34 wins and almost $1.15 million in earnings.
They are the new and the old of NZ trotting.
The latest markets have Oscar Bonavena rated slightly higher at $3.50 and Bet N Win at $4.50 to win the final.
Both of them will have turn the tables on Australia's new trotting star Arcee Phoenix, who beat the pair on their patch in the $NZ500,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4.
Arcee Phoenix is back!
Arcee Phoenix is back in action winning the Yabby Dam Farms Trotters Free for All with ease for trainer-driver Chris Svanosio. pic.twitter.com/e7wkyautnZ
— The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) June 21, 2025
Arcee Phoenix has long looked the next big thing in Aussie trotting and he's delivering on that this year.
Chris Svanosio's six-year-old followed a sparkling Melton trial win with an arrogant first-up win at the same track last night.
There was a touch of Just Believe about the way he made a midrace move to sit outside the leader and toyed with his rivals last night.
His odds were slashed from $3.50 to $2.80 for the trotting finals straight after it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
27 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Reason why Marion Seve wears goggles for Melbourne Storm revealed
It's an usual look for an NRL player, but there's a reason behind Marion Seve's eyewear. The Melbourne Storm and North Sydney Bears centre copped an accidental boot to the eye while playing for the Bears in the NSW Cup in early June. The 30-year-old was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital for immediate surgery where doctors told him the injury was 'traumatic and serious.' He was told could lose his sight permanently by sustaining another knock to the eye playing rugby league. But determined to play again, Melbourne arranged for Seve to wear protective goggles which he'll now have equipped for the rest of his rugby league career.
SBS Australia
41 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
Donnell Wallam is returning to Super Netball after signing with new team
Donnell Wallam is returning to Super Netball after the Diamonds goal shooter found a new home with the Sunshine Coast Lightning. The Noongar woman was cut from the Queensland Firebirds in 2024 despite being an Australian representative, and played in the New Zealand competition this year with the Northern Mystics. But Wallam has been lured home by Lightning, replacing Reilley Batcheldor, who signed with the Melbourne Mavericks. The Queensland club highlighted her accuracy and ability to sink super shots, which proved crucial in deciding this year's grand final between Melbourne Vixens and West Coast Fever. Still in the Diamonds mix after being named an 'invitee' for a training camp next month, Wallam shared her excitement to return to Australia after a year across the ditch. "I feel like I still have more to give and more to learn from the league," the 31-year-old said in a statement. "Lightning have a good mix of experience and youth and I'm looking forward to seeing how I fit into the team." Sunshine Coast coach Belinda Reynolds expected the 193cm goaler to prove a major asset for the club. "Donnell has had an outstanding season with the Mystics in New Zealand. She's an exciting player to watch, and her strength and accuracy are unmatched," she said. Meanwhile, the Firebirds have recruited star New Zealand goal-keeper Kelly Jackson (nee Jury) as they look to move off the bottom of the ladder. Part of the Silver Ferns' 2023 World Cup squad, 28-year-old Jackson joins the club after six seasons with Te Wananga o Raukawa Pulse. With 72 Test caps, she's a three-time Kiwi player of the year and most recently won the Pulse's player of the season for 2025. Like New Zealand teammate Grace Nweke, who plays with the NSW Swifts, Jackson has been granted an exemption to play in the Australian league but still be available for Silver Ferns selection.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Mornington trainers Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor eye Listed win with Pop Award in Regal Roller Stakes at Caulfield
There are family businesses then there's the Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor operation at Mornington. Every family member has a role. Tolson is the matriarch with her daughter Proctor training alongside her while jockey grandsons Luke and Matthew Cartwright do the riding, the latter when not plying his trade in New Zealand. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Even son-in-law, former top jumps jockey Adrian Garraway is involved, educating and pre-training the stable's youngest residents. Tolson and Proctor have combined for more than 100 winners since beginning their training partnership but preparing their 19-strong team is only part of the pair's busy schedule. Taking on new clients is almost impossible with their workload but loyal supporters have always supplied the pair with talented gallopers alongside their own purchases. 'We're trying to work on a bit better class horses so we bought a few young horses,' Tolson said. 'We're trying to upgrade what we've got but we don't take a lot of new outside owners because we do a lot of pre-training for Nick Ryan, Grahame Begg and Lloyd Kennewell. 'That side of things is very important for our business.' • Brad Waters' Caulfield Saturday tips, race-by-race analysis Grand sprinter Curran is the star of Tolson and Proctor's team, earning the camp more than $800,000 in his 40-start career. Tolson joked Proctor lets Curran do whatever he likes as the definite stable favourite. Saturday's Listed Regal Roller Stakes runner Pop Award could equal Curran's win tally of five if she secures a vital black-type success at Caulfield. But unlike Curran, Tolson said Pop Award initially had a vicious streak that caused her earliest breakers to throw up their hands in despair. 'When we got her, she'd been through different breakers and pre-trainers because she'd been such a rat,' Tolson said. 'She could strike at you and go at you better than any stallion. 'She was just an angry horse and always said, 'I'm just not doing it'. The more pressure you put on her, the worse she got.' Time spent with her final breaker immensely improved Pop Award's attitude. Tolson said Pop Award wasn't perfect, but her trainers could work with the daughter of Shamus Award. 'She gave him (the last breaker) a hard, hard time and when he handed her back to us, he said, 'what you've got here is what you've got and I've got no more tricks up my sleeve',' Tolson said. 'He was the third breaker that had her. But he told us, 'once you get her in the box, she'll stand. She won't want to come out. Just let her do it herself'. 'That's what we did, we worked with her and she's a lovely horse. She's such a nice horse to ride but you've got to let her do it on her terms. 'She's got plenty of attitude but she's a nice horse to work with now.' Pop Award belied her difficult start to her career to string together four wins in a row to earn a chance at Listed level in the Regal Roller Stakes. Tolson said she didn't know how high Pop Award could go in her career but said connections would do the five-year-old a disservice not to give her a shot at stakes racing. 'The media keeps putting a wrap on her and she's still stepping but I'm not sure how far she's going to go,' Tolson said. 'She's still got to do it but we'd be kicking ourselves if she was good and we missed out on some nice races.' Pop Award is a $7.50 chance to notch her fifth straight win in the Regal Roller Stakes. 'As long as she's competitive in it and works to the line, we'll be happy,' Tolson said. 'We'll see how she goes and we can plan from there.'
