Inter Dominion glory is a possibility for New Zealand again after trotting series favourite Bolt For Brilliance booked his ticket to Victoria with a private workout on Saturday.
The transtasman series, one each for pacers and trotters, has long been one of harness racing's great annual events but has struggled to hold the same allure for Kiwi horses in the past two years because of Covid, reduced stakes compared with other feature races and increased travel.
That means Bolt For Brilliance was the only big-name New Zealand horse set for the series and his campaign looked on the rocks when he pulled up with a lung infection after being unplaced at Addington on Cup Day.
The treatment needed to get on top of that infection forced him out of the $300,000 Dominion three days later but he has improved every day since, and a workout on Saturday, followed by a veterinary examination, convinced trainer-driver Tony Herlihy to head to Victoria.
Bolt For Brilliance will fly to Melbourne on Wednesday with Herlihy to be based there and driving him for the series, rather than travelling back across the Tasman to drive in other features, such as the $100,000 NZ Trotting Oaks he has Double Delight in this Friday.