A total of 15 Victorian-bred horses will contest the opening round of heats of the Inter Dominion pacing and trotting championships at Newcastle on Friday night.
Curly James, the pre-post favourite for the $500,000 Grand Final at Menangle on December 14, heads a group of five Vicbred pacers contesting the series. The others are Don Lou, Mach Dan, Dangerous and Exotic Bushranger.
Don Lou and Dangerous were both bred by Melbourne enthusiast Harvey Kaplan.