Newcastle Harness Racing Club boss Wayne Smith has welcomed the return of the Hunter Region Championships in 2021.
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Harness Racing NSW recently announced that the regional series, which replaced the Million Dollar Pace format this year when COVID-19 led to restrictions, would be back next year.
Hunter, Riverina, Western and Metropolitan zones all contested heats and a $100,000 final each.
The concept proved popular with Hunter participants, who gained a rare chance to compete for a group 1 race at home without competition from Sydney-based pacers.
Under the original series format, most Hunter participants would have been long odds to get near the $1 million-to-the-winner final at Menangle.
HRNSW and the TAB responded to the feedback by keeping the regional structure and even adding a $100,000 state final.
The first two from each regional final progress to the decider.
NHRC secretary manager Smith said the move was a positive one for Hunter harness racing and would help spread prizemoney more evenly across the state.
The Clayton Harmey-trained Kanye Crusader won the Hunter final and the series returns across meetings on May 7, 14 and 21.
At Newcastle on Friday night, Maitland trainer-driver Peter Hedges will chase back-to-back wins with Mondos Eagle.
Mondos Eagle broke through for a maiden win at her 16th start last week at Newcastle.
This week, the three-year-old filly faces older horses and has the extreme outside draw on the frontline in the first.
"She's in a bit harder race this week," Hedges said.
"With her prizemoney, she's had to draw ordinary, so that will make it hard for her. But she is strong so it just depends on the speed of the race. She's a rough hope."
Hedges also has Jackomondo from gate 10 in the race for two-year-olds. He has run top-four at his past four starts without a win.
"He's knocking on the door, but he's finding it hard to win," he said. "He runs into a good one usually and he has again. Kevin Pizzuto's horse will be hard to beat."
But if mine can drive through from the second line and find a good spot, he's a hope."