The Inter Colonial Free-For-All carried a 100 pound stake and brought together an elite field which included champion New Zealand-bred trotter Calista, freakish New South Wales squaregaiter Fritz and Australia’s finest pacer of the era in Mystery.

The event proved an unqualified success and was widely acknowledged at the time as the greatest exhibition of trotting ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fritz won in three straight heats and in the process slashed more than 10 seconds from the Australasian mile record.

Unfortunately, the Inter Colonial Free-For-All was the last harness race run at Moonee Valley for 80 years.

And it was almost 30 years before far-sighted administrator James Brennan revived the concept for a series of races between Australian and New Zealand standardbreds.

His proposal for a championship which rotated between capital cities was branded impractical and outlandish but the West Australian chairman was unperturbed.

He went ahead without the support of the eastern states and promoted the first Australasian Trotting Championship in Perth in 1925, which was won by Kiwi pacer Great Hope.

The following year, fellow New Zealander Taraire defeated compatriot Great Bingen.

Both events incurred a heavy financial loss to the Western Australian Trotting Association and Brennan personally.

Soon after, the Great Depression set in and the Inter Dominion concept was again laid to rest.

The modern Inter Dominion Championship was born from a 1935 gathering of delegates from all Australian states and both New Zealand islands known as the Australasian Trotting Conference.

The first series was conducted in Perth 12 months later in recognition of WATA president J.P. Stratton’s passion and commitment to making it a reality.

Sixty-five-year-old reinsman Free Holmes, who had ridden the New Zealand Cup winner half a century earlier, combined with Evicus to controversially claim the title of Inter Dominion grand champion.

Evicus failed to post a win for the duration of the series but was awarded the title by virtue of an unorthodox points system ahead of Lawn Derby who was successful in all three heats and the final.

South Australia’s tiny saucer track at Wayville hosted the second series which was won by Dans Son, a pacer purchased at auction as a three-year-old for a mere 11 guineas.

New Zealand’s first Inter Dominion carnival in 1938 was twice postponed due to inclement weather.

Parisienne claimed the overall title but a heat win by American import U Scott – who went on to be an outstanding success at stud – was equally significant.

Tasmania hosted the 1939 championship and Australia’s greatest ever stallion Globe Derby featured prominently in the bloodlines of the first three placegetters in the final – Springfield Globe, Globe Dorrell and Radiant Walla.

1939 Inter Dominion Champion Springfield Globe

Logan Derby secured the 1940 title in Perth by way of points over grand final winner Grand Mogul.

World War II forced the abandonment of the series until 1947 when an 8000 pound stake was offered in Perth.

Famous Tasmanian mare Bandbox became the toast of the Apple Isle when she won the final and overall championship, a success which would elude her famous grandson Pure Steel in later years.

Emulous paced two miles in a record-breaking 4:12.4 to defeat Loyal Nurse and claim the 1948 championship in Auckland, New Zealand.

That series carried immense historical significance with the trotters featuring alongside the pacers in the first Inter Dominion trotting championship, which was won by Aerial Scott off 24-yards.

The next year, 45,000 crammed into Wayville to witness Kiwi pacer Single Direct’s Inter Dominion victory.

Following the installation of lights three years earlier, Melbourne earned the right to conduct the 1950 series at its Royal Showgrounds circuit.

Captain Sandy won the 10,000 pound series in front of a massive crowd which broke all existing attendance records at the famous venue.

Two-time Inter Dominon Champion
Captain Sandy (1950 and 1953)

Vedette won the 1951 championship in record time on home soil at Christchurch
while New South Wales hosted its first Inter Dominion in 1952 to coincide with the state’s jubilee celebrations.

Under lights at Sydney’s Harold Park, the immortal Avian Derby defeated Recovered and Floodlight in the final.

Six weeks later, the horse became the first in Australian history to pace a two-minute mile.

Captain Sandy rewrote the history books when he defeated Ribands in the 1953 final in Perth.

The rising 11-year-old was the first horse to win two Inter Dominion Championships.

The scratching of pre-post favorite Ribands paved the way for New South Wales pacer Tennessee Sky to win the 1954 final at Wayville.

In 1955, Tactician overcame an 18-yard handicap to defeat backmarker Johnny Globe (off 48 yards) in Auckland.

Victoria’s only representative, Gentleman John, triumphed in Sydney in 1956 while in 1957 South Australian Radiant Venture reigned supreme in Perth.

Free Hall recorded a home track win in 1958 then Young Pedro won in Melbourne in 1959 to complete a hat-trick of victories for the ‘Croweaters’.

Legendary pacer Caduceus - better known as “The Mighty Atom” - gave one of his bravest ever performances to win the 1960 Inter Dominion in Sydney.

The tiny Kiwi overcame a 36-yard handicap, bumping duel with equine giant Apmat and protest in the stewards’ room to earn the prestigious crown in front of 50,346 screaming fans.

1960 Inter Dominion Winner Caduceus

The following year in Christchurch, Massacre became the first four-year-old to win a grand final then James Scott was victorious in Perth in 1962.

Cardigan Bay, harness racing’s first millionaire, launched a golden era in Inter Dominion history when he came from 24 yards behind at Wayville to achieve the seemingly impossible in the 1963 decider.

Another of the sport’s immortals in Minuteman outstayed gallant mare Angelique in the 1964 grand final in Melbourne.

Controversy again flared in Dunedin in 1965 when Jay Ar was initially crowned the winner before a closer examination of the photo revealed the pacer had dead-heated with grand mare Robin Dundee.

Twelve months later, Robin Dundee almost shared the prize again, going down by just a head to Tasmanian Chamfer Star in Sydney.

The 1966 series carried added significance as it featured the first Inter Dominion trotting championship conducted on Australian soil.

Mighty mare Gramel came off 72 yards and caught all bar the Colin Watts-driven Yamamoto who started off the front in the $6000 final.

The 1967 series in Perth produced a home town win when Phil Coulson partnered five-year-old Binshaw to a 16-yard victory, one of the biggest winning margins in Inter Dominion history.

Superstar pacer Halwes was poised to deliver Australia’s first Inter Dominion win on New Zealand soil after he completed a clean sweep of the three preliminary heats in 1968.

Sadly a quarter crack forced the champion’s withdrawal from the final but compatriot First Lee took advantage of the opportunity to bring the trophy back across the Tasman.

Star Victorian mare Richmond Lass only just scraped into the field for the 1969 final at Wayville before claiming top honours, then Bold David ran his rivals off their legs to fly the Victorian flag with distinction in Melbourne in 1970.

1963 Inter Dominion Champion
Cardigan Bay

Juniors Image won the 1971 final in Christchurch but was later disqualified in sensational circumstances after returning a positive swab, elevating Stella Frost to first placing.

The 31st annual Inter Dominion Championship was run in Brisbane for the first time in 1972.

Striking black stallion Welcome Advice claimed the title in the second of his four grand final appearances.

Hondo Grattan, better known as “The Bathurst Bulldog”, rallied after being headed to win the 1973 final which offered an unprecedented $155,000 stake, an increase of $67,000 on the previous year.

The pocket dynamo claimed another piece of history the following year when he became the first horse to win back-to-back titles in a Perth final marred by a bad fall.

New Zealand re-asserted its home ground advantage in 1975 when Young Quinn won the 34th Inter Dominion Final in Auckland.

Adelaide’s new Globe Derby Park track produced a boilover in 1976 when Carclew defeated Pure Steel to take the crown.

Punters made amends the following year when Kiwi raider Stanley Rio landed a massive betting plunge to win in Brisbane.

Melbourne offered prizemoney in excess of $200,000 for the inaugural running of the Inter Dominion at the state-of-the-art Moonee Valley circuit in 1978.

Markovina triumphed for trainer/driver Brian Gath in the coveted pacers final, but it was Victoria’s maiden Inter Dominion trotting championship that stole the headlines.

Maoris Idol, the greatest trotter the Southern Hemisphere has seen, had his record breaking winning streak snapped at 24 when beaten by Derby Royale as a 4/9 favourite in the final with driver Bryan Healy earning the wrath of punters.

The series then returned to New Zealand where top Kiwi horseman Peter Wolfenden won the $235,000 championship at Christchurch with Rondel.

National hero Paleface Adios was the sentimental favorite when Sydney hosted the 39th Inter Dominion in 1980.

Already a winner of over 100 races and six Inter Dominion heats, “Paleface” added a further two heats to his tally but was denied victory in the final by brilliant speedster Koala King.

The success marked a pivotal moment in Inter Dominion folklore - it was the first for trainer/driver Brian Hancock who would go on to make harness racing’s Holy Grail his own in future years.

“Mr Inter Dominion”
Brian Hancock

West Australian champion San Simeon was unbeaten going into the 1981 championship – staged for the first time in Hobart – and although he tasted his first defeat in a heat of the series, he atoned to claim top honours in the final.

Rhetts Law won the 1982 final in Perth with a brilliant display of speed and stamina, delivering a long overdue Inter Dominion trophy to owner Russell Roberts who had failed in five previous attempts to land the title with grand pacer Pure Steel.

Iron horse Gammalite won the 1983 final in Auckland, denying arch rival Popular Alm victory.

The popular chestnut returned to home soil and became just the second back-to-back grand final winner when he was successful as a seven-year-old in Adelaide in 1984.

The 44th Inter Dominion was staged in Melbourne in 1985 in conjunction with Victoria’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

A massive crowd of over 40,000 – the biggest at Moonee Valley to this day - crammed in to see Preux Chevalier emerge victorious after a health scare had threatened his scratching only hours before the $300,000 final.

Preux Chevalier - winner of the 1985 Inter Dominion
Final at Moonee Valley

Following “The Frog’s” success in Melbourne, West Australian went back-to-back in 1986 when crowd favourite Village Kid won in Brisbane.

The Bill Horn-trained gelding retired eight years later at age 13 as the richest standardbred in Australasia.

He also jointly holds the record for the most number of wins in Inter Dominion qualifying heats at eight.

Jim O’Sullivan undertook a successful New Zealand raid in 1987, securing the $625,500 final in Christchurch with star four-year-old My Lightning Blue.

The first $100,000 plus Inter Dominion trotting final was conducted in this year with 10-year-old mare Tussle joining 1973 winner Precocious as the oldest champion to date.

Fellow four-year-olds Our Maestro and Jodies Babe triumphed in 1988 and 1989 respectively, securing consecutive Inter Dominion titles in Sydney and Perth for the dominant Bob Knight stable.

Brian Hancock won his second grand final as a trainer in Adelaide in 1990 with Thorate - who was partnered by Howard James - and Mark Hanover scored in Auckland in 1991 for Mark Purdon.

Westburn Grant narrowly denied local hero Franco Tiger a hometown victory in the 1992 final in Melbourne after failing to win a heat in the preliminary rounds.

Westburn Grant - 1992 Inter Dominion Champion

Western Australia was back on top in 1993 when Rod Chambers combined with star five-year-old Jack Morris to score in Brisbane, then the Brian Hancock show rolled into Sydney when Weona Warrior recorded a shock win at odds of 25-1 in 1994.

The defending titleholder was one of three Australian pacers to qualify for the Inter Dominion Final in Christchurch 12 months later and former star juvenile Golden Reign was the least fancied of the trio after drawing a dreaded outside front row barrier.

It is history now that the Victorian recorded a courageous win but connections had a nail biting 35-minute wait as stewards deliberated on a protest lodged by rival driver Anthony Butt who claimed Blossom Lady received interference from Golden Reign.

Controversy continued months after the event, with the second and third placegetters Victor Supreme and Young Mister Charles ultimately disqualified after returning positive swabs.

The championship returned to its birthplace for the diamond jubilee running in 1996 when Young Mister Charles overcame a chequered path to defeat a wayward Sunshine Band in Perth.

The Inter Dominion headed to Adelaide in 1997 and the pacers final was very nearly overshadowed by the trotters final when US-bred, NZ-trained mare Pride Of Petite claimed her second Inter Dominion.

The superstar stormed home from her 40-metre handicap to claim victory in the final bound in what many describe as the most exciting trotting of all-time.

Pride of Petite stole the headlines with a sensational win
in the 1997 Inter Dominion Trotters Final

Few who witnessed Our Sir Vancelot’s win in the pacers final though could have foreseen the amazing success story which would unfold in the following two years.

Under the guidance of the man now known as Mr Inter Dominion, Brian Hancock, the New South Wales-trained pacer became the first horse to win three grand finals, completing the remarkable feat in Hobart in 1998 and Auckland in 1999.

To add to the enormity of the achievement, Hancock also qualified stablemate Quantum Lobell for his third consecutive final in New Zealand.

Our Sir Vancelot - Inter Dominion Champion in 1997, 1998 and 1999

Promoted as the world’s richest and most spectacular harness racing event, an historic $1 million prize pool was offered for the 2000 Inter Dominion final in Melbourne.

Harness Racing Victoria officials controversially altered the composition of the qualifying heats to include the Victoria and Hunter Cups, and moved the series forward from its traditional timeslot.

But the event is best remembered for racecaller Dan Mielicki’s passionate declaration of “a Victorian quinella” with Shakamaker holding off the fast-finishing Breenys Fella to deliver Inter Dominion glory to trainer/driver John Justice.

A record $500,000 purse was offered for the trotting final in Melbourne, with emerging Kiwi superstar Lyell Creek saluting at a dominant $1.40 quote.

Lyell Creek - Inter Dominion Trotting Champion in 2000

It would be the first of three Inter Dominion trotting finals in three years for driver Anthony Butt who combined for multiple success with Take A Moment in 2001 and 2003.

New Zealand grandmother Lorraine Nolan became the first female to train an Inter Dominion winner when Yulestar was successful in Brisbane in 2001 in a track record 1:56.2 mile rate.

The following year, New South Wales horseman Steve Turnbull emulated the feat of his famous father Tony when he won the grand final in Sydney with stable favourite Smooth Satin.

Smooth Satin beats Shakamaker in the
2002 Inter Dominion Pacers Final

The championship returned to New Zealand in 2003 with Christchurch hosting the $800,000 final.

Victory went the way of Baltic Eagle, trained and driven by Kim Prentice.

The West Australian horseman had been a virtual unknown outside of his home state prior to qualifying outsider Big Town Walton for the Sydney final (in which he finished fourth) 12 months earlier.

Just centimetres separated the first four placegetters in a memorable climax to the 2004 series in Perth.

Jofess was proclaimed the winner, narrowly denying local hero The Falcon Strike a fairytale victory.

With Perth not home to a vibrant trotting industry, the squaregaiters did battle in Melbourne this year with Sumthingaboutmaori scoring the first Australian-trained trotting victory since Yankee Loch saluted at the same venue in 1989.

It was indeed an emotional moment for Sumthingaboutmaori’s trainer Bryan Healy who exorcised the demons of 1978 when he was beaten aboard hot favourite Maori’s Idol in controversial circumstances.

For the first time since the Inter Dominion’s inception 68 years earlier, every qualifying heat on the Gloucester Park track as well as the final produced a sub 2:00 mile rate.

Emotional victory - Sumthingaboutmaori wins the
2004 Trotters Final in Melbourne

Accolades flowed freely after modern day champion Elsu completed the 2005 series in Auckland undefeated.

In the process, the striking son of Falcon Seelster proved himself the equal of any standardbred seen in Australasia for a decade.

New ground was broken on a number of fronts when Blacks A Fake triumphed in Hobart in 2006.

The five-year-old became the first Queensland pacer to taste Inter Dominion success, claiming the lion’s share of a record $1.5 million grand final purse.

Popular horsewoman Natalie Rasmussen also became the first female to both train and drive an Inter Dominion winner.

She repeated the feat in Adelaide in January 2007 when “Blackie” successfully defended his title to confirm his ranking as Australia’s premier Grand Circuit pacer.

Blacks A Fake became only the second pacer
to win three Inter Dominions

The series will be long remembered as the first to cross state borders midstream with Melbourne hosting the first round of heats, before the championship headed to Adelaide for its conclusion.

In the trotting division, Victorian-trained star A Touch Of Flair was the hunted, but the 2006 runner-up had to be content with consecutive Inter Dominion second placings after failing to catch $67 outsider Uncle Petrika.

Melbourne hosted the entire series in 2008 but that didn’t ensure of a different result.

Just nine years after Our Sir Vancelot pulled off what most thought the unachievable and snared three-straight pacing crowns, Blacks A Fake matched his feat when he led most of the way to beat Divisive and Smoken Up.

While it was a favourite’s final in the pacing division, Galleons Sunset upstaged the fancied runners to score a blowout win in the trotters’ final.

“Blackie” returned home as he strived to further elevate his exalted status, but it took a Little Brown Jug winner to deny him a fourth straight title.

Mr Feelgood made the most of a stunning Anthony Butt drive to cut down to the crowd favourite right on the line and add the Inter Dominion crown to the Hunter Cup he won seven weeks earlier.

The trotting series remained in Melbourne and it was hometown hero Sundons Gift who booked himself a trip to Sweden for the Elitlopp with a strong win over Kiwi raiders One Over Kenny and Whatsundermykilt.