Wagering hike ‘shows value of Inter Dominion in Queensland'
The three-night series at Albion Park bucked the national wagering trend to return a thumping 12.4 per cent increase – $6,799,000 compared to $6,051,000 – on the last Ladbrokes Brisbane Inter Dominion in December, 2023.
It was by far the biggest turnover meeting in Queensland harness history, representing a 23 per cent hike on the corresponding meeting last year, headlined by the Group 1 Blacks A Fake.
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'It shows the value of having the Ladbrokes Inter Dominion back in Queensland, not just this year, but for the next two years as well,' Racing Queensland's senior racing manager Andrew Clarke said.
'That's crucial. We always felt whatever we achieved this year, we could really build on by having the iconic series three years in a row.
'We're thrilled to set a turnover record and crowning our own local champion Leap To Fame again added another layer. Throw in another Queenslander, Speak The Truth, running second and it was a golden night for the sport.
'It was really important for us to get lots of interstate flavour and the Kiwis back across. To have the Kiwis finish second and third in the trotting final will surely attract more of them back next year.'
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This year's Inter Dominion was condensed from four to three nights of racing – two rounds of heats into finals.
Average betting per race across the three nights compared to the 2023 series grew by 20.2 per cent from $446,000 to $536,000.
'It was terrific to see really strong figures around the trotting races, too. It really vindicates running the pacing and trotting series' together,' Clarke said.
Favourites won both finals with Leap To Fame at $1.22 and Victorian star Arcee Phoenix backed into $2.60 in the trotting final.
Albion Park chairman Greg Mitchell said a full review was planned despite the strong wagering results.
'We're obviously thrilled with the wagering figures, but the people came along, too. We had a record modern crowd on the final night.
'When you've got such a big event for three years, you can and must always learn from year one,' he said.
'We know we didn't get everything right and we're taking all the feedback on-board as part of our review.'
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One of the major talking points was the marathon 3157m distance for the finals.
'Whether we need them that far or 2680m is far enough will be something we look seriously at,' Mitchell said.
But Mitchell backed the innovative 'bonus points' system used for the first time in Brisbane and which enabled star Kiwi veteran Oscar Bonavena to make the trotting final and finish a huge third.
'You want the best horses getting into the finals and by reducing the number of heats from three to two, it's important we have mechanisms for unlucky horses to get extra points when it matters,' he said.
'We're committed to the bonus points, but that's not to say we won't tinker with how they work.'
• Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
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ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Australian relay teams win gold on day one of world swimming championships
The Australian swimming team has had an outstanding start to the World Aquatics Championships, winning two gold and a silver to open the competition. Australia's men's and women's 4x100m freestyle relay teams both claimed gold, while Sam Short won silver in the men's 400 metre freestyle. The all-conquering women's 4x100m freestyle relay team won gold ahead the US in second and the Netherlands in third, to extend a major championship winning run that began with a world record set at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast. The Australian men's team followed up just minutes later with a stunning come-from-behind win anchored by veteran Kyle Chalmers to set a championship record of 3:08.07 ahead of Italy, with the US favourites in third. Chalmers dived in with Australia in third place after earlier legs by Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor and Maximilliam Giuliani, but stormed home in 46.53 seconds to secure the victory. "It's so good to be part of a relay team that's so young and hungry and eager to have success in LA like I am," Chalmers said. "We've won bronze, bronze, silver, I really desperately want to win a gold medal in a few years' time." Southam said the goal for himself, Taylor and Giuliani "was just to give Kyle a punter's hope". "And we all did our job extraordinarily well, but we came together and represented the country, so there's no greater honour, I think, and to do it in a relay is so much more special than an individual event," Southam said. Giuliani said the result, on the first day of the swimming competition in Singapore, was "unbelievable". "We spoke about it the first day we came together on staging … and to deliver on that in great fashion — I mean championship record [and] we weren't too far off the world record," he said. "I think we've got a whole lot of potential in this team." The women's race was equally dramatic. Mollie O'Callaghan led out and established a lead by the first change, which was extended in the following two legs swum by Meg Harris and Milla Jansen. In the final leg, Olivia Wunsch was chased down by Olympic relay gold medallist Torri Huske, who turned at the 350m mark in first place. But Wunsch turned on the afterburners to reclaim first place, touching the wall in 3:30.6 seconds. "I just wanted to power home and give it all I had and it's really exciting to be able to stand up with a gold medal today," Wunsch said. "I love racing, and I love anchoring a relay so that was really exciting. O'Callaghan said the team was "very nervous leading up to this". "I thought I've just got to try my best for these three girls and especially the girls in the heat," she said. "It's nice to know that we have a strong set-up for LA and Brisbane and, yeah, I'm very confident in these girls and it's going to be a great week." The US team had been rocked by a case of gastroenteritis that has gone through the team after a staging camp in Thailand. Just minutes before the final, multiple Olympic relay gold medallist, Gretchen Walsh pulled out of the team. But Huske said the team wasn't making excuses. "I don't want to speak to how much it's affected us necessarily," she said. "We've done a really good job in staying resilient." Earlier in the night, Sam Short fell agonisingly short of a gold medal, losing by just 0.02 seconds to German world record holder Lukas Martens. Short's time of 3:42.37 was 0.3 seconds slower than the time he swam in the morning's heats. But rather than express disappointment, Short said he was pleased to be back on a world championship podium after previously taking gold at the 2023 championships in Fukuoka. "So happy to be back on the podium," he said. "It was a pleasure to race the Olympic champion, world record holder and now world champion, so I knew he was going to be a tough opponent. "I'm really proud of how hard I pushed myself and you know, .02, it's not the end of the world, silver medal, I get to get back on the podium and long meet to come." He said the result was some consolation after a disappointing campaign at the Paris Olympic Games, where he was a chance to win the gold medal in the 400m freestyle but narrowly missed bronze in the final. He then missed the finals of the 800m and 1500m and dubbed his Olympic Games "a failure". As to why he swam slower in the evening than his morning time, which would have won gold, he said in hindsight he could have gone slower in his heat swim. "I felt comfortable this morning, I actually felt I could have gone 3:40 this morning," he said. "So, you know just a high-pressure environment, backing that up, small turnaround and also a great field as well. "When I was with him with 100 to go, I knew it was going to be a dogfight — he's a pretty good level, he's the world record holder. "I knew I wasn't going to be pulling away and I was hurting as well. "I've got a good finish on me, and it wasn't quite good enough today." Short still has swims in the 800m and 1500m freestyle events and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. In the women's 400m freestyle final, Lani Pallister was in second until the 250m mark, but faded to finish fourth behind world record holder Summer McIntosh. China's Bingjie Li was second, with US veteran Katie Ledecky in third. McIntosh's campaign to claim five individual gold medals at a world championships is on track and while her time of 3:56.26 is more than two seconds slower than the world record she set earlier this year, it was still two seconds faster than Li. Pallister's time of 3:58.87 was a personal best. "I think fourth is a bit shit, but if it's fourth and a PB you can't really ask for more," Pallister said. Pallister said a young girl from Singapore had given her a pin with a picture of her when she was five. She said she was looking at the pin as she made her way into the pool on Sunday night. "That little girl would think that I was like the coolest person in the world, to be standing in that final, let alone being fourth," she said. Another Australian, Pallister's lifelong friend Jamie Perkins, was sixth in a personal best time of 4:03.2. Perkins said she was "pretty disappointed", despite the personal best time, but said she was learning. "I'm still young, so see what we get moving forward," Perkins said.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Green helps Aussies put on a Big Show for 4-0 T20 lead
Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday. Glenn Maxwell lived up to his Big Show nickname and Cameron Green and Josh Inglis continued their hot form, as Australia swept to a 4-0 lead in the T20I cricket series against West Indies in St Kitts. Chasing the home team's 9-205, Australia reached their target with three wickets and four balls to spare. They looked to be cruising at 2-129 at the halfway stage, after taking 21 off the 10th over, but lost 3-5. Green (55 not out off 35 balls) and the recalled Aaron Hardie (23 off 16) added 61, and the loss of two late wickets wasn't significant. Green, who scored his third half-century of the series, Inglis (51 off 30) and Maxwell (47 off 18) produced the batting fireworks. Maxwell, named man of the match, thrashed six sixes, including a trademark helicopter flick and a one-handed swipe over long-on. The Australian catching was exceptional, with Maxwell going low and leaping high to take two excellent efforts at mid-off in the powerplay, and Mitchell Owen taking a diving snare at deep backward point. Maxwell's excellent athleticism shone again late in the innings, when he took a high catch at long-on, and before falling over the boundary line he flicked the ball back to Green to complete the dismissal. "I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding, I think it's one of the things I've always held a high regard for," Maxwell told broadcaster ESPN. The West Indies innings was full of brief explosive batting cameos, with Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 15), Romario Shepherd (28 off 18), Rovman Powell (28 off 22) and Jason Holder (26 off 16) unable to push on. Wickets fell at regular intervals, but the home side maintained a strong run rate, smashing 21 fours and 12 sixes. Nathan Ellis (0-21 off four overs) and Hardie (2-24 off four) both bowled tidily on a small ground with short boundaries. Xavier Bartlett finished with 2-39 off his four overs. Paceman Sean Abbott (2-61 off 4) and legspinner Adam Zampa (3-54 off four) bore the brunt of the assault. Captain Mitchell Marsh was given out lbw for a second-ball duck, though technology showed he erred in not reviewing the decision, because the ball pitched outside leg stump. Inglis, who scored 78 not out in the second game, smashed the ball all around the ground. He added a six to 10 fours, one of which was an audacious reverse pull. Maxwell was largely a spectator in the first five overs, facing just three balls and scoring only one of Australia's first 49 runs off the bat, while Inglis tore into the West Indies bowlers. Inglis's pyrotechnics came to an end one ball after the powerplay when he hit a full toss to deep backward square leg. Maxwell was out first ball after the mid-innings break, swatting the ball to long-on, and Owen and Cooper Connolly fell cheaply to catches off left-arm quick Jediah Blades (3-29 off four). West Indies dropped three catches and bowled 16 wides as they extended their record for the most unsuccessful T20I defences of scores of over 200 to seven times. Captain Shai Hope rated their fielding across the seven tour matches, including three Tests, as "sub par". Australia can compete an eight-match winning sweep of the tour by taking out the final T20I in St Kitts on Tuesday.
Herald Sun
2 hours ago
- Herald Sun
Aussie on course for Caribbean clean sweep after incredible Maxwell catching exhibition
Australia has continued its dominant tour of the West Indies with another strong performance at Warner Park, with veteran Glenn Maxwell's fielding and batting a feature in the three-wicket triumph on Sunday. Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia has continued its dominant tour of the West Indies with another strong performance at Warner Park, with veteran Glenn Maxwell's fielding and batting a feature in a three wicket triumph on Sunday AEST. The Australians are now just one win away from completing a clean sweep of both the three Test and five T20 match tour of the Caribbean after chasing down a target of 205 in the match held on the small ground on the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The final match of a white ball series in which several Australians have excelled as they seek to press their claims for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka will be held on Wednesday morning, AEST, in Basseterre. Watch England vs India Test Series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. — ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 26, 2025 With Maxwell a stand out in the field, taking two superb catches and also playing the lead role in a remarkable tandem act dismissal with Cameron Green, the Aussies were always in control of the fourth match of the T20 series. Having secured the series a day prior, they had the luxury of resting record-breaking batter Tim David, but his absence mattered little as Josh Inglis, who scored his second 50 for the series, Maxwell (47) and Green, who was 55 not out, cashed in with the bat. The only moments of concern were when Mitch Marsh was removed LBW by impressive newcomer Jediah Blades with the second ball, with a replay showing the Australian skipper should have reviewed his dismissal, and also midway through the chase. With the Aussies coasting to victory, Blades created some doubt when removing Mitch Owen for two and then snaring Cooper Connolly as well in the 12th over to put the tourists under some pressure at 5-134. But at a batting friendly venue, with all four innings to date resulting in scores of over 200, Green and fellow Western Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie regained the momentum, with the Aussies reaching the total in the final over. The West Indies last chance came when Sherfane Rutherford spilled Green, who has now made three half-centuries for the series, in the outfield in the second last over, which could have given the tourists some anxious moments at the end. West Indies vs Australia Test & T20I Series | Watch every ball LIVE with ESPN, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. It was an impressive performance by the Australians in every regard and Maxwell, the Man of the Match, was brilliant with both the ball and the bat. The 36-year-old demonstrated his athleticism in the field with the tandem-act combination Cameron Green to dismiss Romario Shepherd, who had attempted to punch Zampa for six, for 28. He had previously taken a diving catch to remove the West Indian captain Hope in the infancy of the innings before a sensational effort to dismiss Roston Chase for a golden duck off the bowling of Hardie. Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin described Maxwell as the best fielder in the world. 'We have seen him take some unbelievable catches ... but it is not by chance. It is the work he puts in and the details he considers,' he said on ESPN. Although the Australian attack conceded more than 200 runs again, the bowlers were able to take wickets regularly, which stymied the hosts bid to post a massive total that would have put the Australians under pressure when batting. Sent into bat for the fourth time in as many innings by Marsh after the Aussie skipper again won the toss, the Australians demonstrated the depth of their squad immediately by opting to open the bowling with new inclusions Hardie and Xavier Bartlett. The pair struck early to remove dangerous openers Shai Hope, a centurion in the third match of the series, and Brandon King in the powerplay and ultimately finished with two wickets each as Australia fell just shy of bowling the West Indies out for the first time. Adam Zampa was again expensive, conceding more than 50 runs from his four overs for the second match in succession, but struck back well after an early onslaught to finish with 3-54. Miserly in Friday night's encounter in the West Indies, Sean Abbott was also taken to task but was able to snare two wickets as well when finishing with 2-61. Some superb bowling from Nathan Ellis at the death helped restrict the West Indies to a manageable total, with their innings disrupted by rain with just four balls remaining, which caused a delay of almost an hour. FOLLOW AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES T20 GAME 4 IN OUR LIVE BLOG BELOW! CAN'T SEE THE BLOG? CLICK HERE When the flurry of rain arrived at the Saint Kitts and Nevis ground, the West Indies were 9-203 with four balls remaining in the innings. The Aussies, who have used only five bowlers in the innings, have taken wickets regularly and are seeking to bowl their rivals out for the first time in a series they lead 3-0. The Australians were hit with a fielding penalty in the final over, which reduced the number of men allowed outside the inner-circle, after falling behind on the over rate. While the West Indies have scored at more than 10 runs per over, the Aussies would be happy with their position given recent history in this series and at the ground. Originally published as Aussie on course for Caribbean clean sweep after incredible Maxwell catching exhibition Cricket A Sri Lankan cricket star cleared of sexually assaulting a woman in Australia has poked fun at the case as he showed off his new girlfriend. Cricket Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has left fans in absolute disbelief after doing the unthinkable not once but twice.
