Queensland’s harness stars dominate Australasia
Photo: HRNZ/Races Images NZ
The strength of the Queensland harness racing industry has once again come to the fore on one of Australasia’s biggest stages.
Led by Inter Dominion champions Leap To Fame and Gus, the Sunshine State celebrated a red-letter day on Tuesday by claiming both the Group 1 New Zealand Trotting Cup and Dominion Trot at Addington.
The Grant Dixon-trained champion continued to mount his case as the greatest standardbred in Australasian history, claiming a record-breaking 17th Group 1 in the New Zealand Cup – arguably his toughest and most memorable victory to date.
Queensland’s trotting superstar Gus carried on his stellar 12 months by becoming the first Australian horse to claim dual Dominion Trots, overcoming an early scare in the race to score an emphatic victory.
Earlier this year, he also became the first Queensland-trained horse to take out the famous Inter Dominion Trotting Championship for husband-and-wife duo Pete McMullen and Chantal Turpin.
Both horses will be looking to repeat the dose this afternoon, lining up in the NZ Free-For-All and NZ Trotting Free-For-All respectively, races both Leap To Fame and Gus won in 2025.
The next generation of talent also starred across the ditch, with up-and-coming driver Layne Dwyer representing Queensland in the Australasian Young Drivers Championship.
Dwyer book-ended the 10-race series with two wins, finishing on the podium in third in the series known for unearthing the sport’s future stars.
Racing Queensland Chairman Matt McGrath said these results showcase the strategic long-term vision of the code over the last decade.
“Queensland’s marquee day at Christchurch doesn’t happen overnight, and is the result of a years-long focus by our harness industry centred around strategy and innovation,” Mr McGrath said.
“Led by the QBRED scheme, we are supporting local breeders through race bonuses for keeping standardbreds at home, and providing rich bonuses for first, second and third wins to build their careers here in Queensland.
“With further innovations including the Starlights Carnival in summer, the internationally renowned Ultimate Driver Championship and recently announced North Star series, Queensland is now a proven ground for producing success on the biggest stage.”
In a boon for The Starlights, Queenslanders will likely see Leap To Fame back on his home deck as focus shifts to claiming a second Group 1 Blacks A Fake on December 5 at Albion Park.
While the Ultimate Driver Championship will return to Albion Park on February 19-20, where 10 of the world’s best drivers will compete across 20 races for a $350,000 prize money pool.
Both series winners in Angus Garrard and James Herbertson are set to return, alongside several international stars to be announced in the coming weeks.
Harness racing’s flagship event, the Inter Dominion Championships, will once again call the Sunshine State home as part of the Queensland Constellations in July.
For a third year running, the sport’s pinnacle will attract the Southern Hemisphere’s best and brightest standardbreds to Queensland in search of close to $2 million in prize money on offer across the series.
“In recent years, the Inter Dominion has become synonymous with Queensland, ensuring the eyes of the harness racing world remain firmly on the Sunshine State,” RQ Acting CEO Lachlan Murray said.
“The 2026 series highlighted the success of the Inter Dominion’s presence in Queensland, with close to 4,000 patrons on course over the three meetings, directly contributing $2.3 million back into the local economy.
“The success of both Leap To Fame and Gus at present cannot be understated, highlighted by nearly 50% of ID26 patrons surveyed stating that their motivation to attend was thanks to a following of their favourite horse.”
Going forward, the sport’s future in Queensland will continue to shine brightly with Toowoomba and Marburg redevelopments complimenting the masterplan development of Albion Park.
