Rich race round heads to Bunbury

Bunbury will host a round of the world's richest harness racing series tomorrow, becoming the first regional West Australian track to do so.

The second round of three heats for the Inter Dominion series, which carries a $1.3 million prize pool for the final, will be held at Donaldson Park with all 30 horses competing.

Bunbury Trotting Club general manager Julie Caldwell described the opportunity to host Inter Dominion heats as "extremely significant" and hopes for a crowd of "a few thousand" at the track.

All three Bunbury heats carry a prize pool of $50,000, the same as the Bunbury Cup.

Caldwell said Gloucester Park officials had approached the club to host the heats, which were originally planned for Pinjarra.

She said course upgrades including a new video screen and digital timing markers would be unveiled on Tuesday and there would also be trackside food vans for the general public.

"We would never have had horses of this calibre on the track and I hope people who wouldn't go to a normal race meeting will go for the spectacle," she said.

Horses will race three times over different distances during the heats as they vie for places in the prestigious December 13 final.

Bunbury's heats will be over the 1609m sprint distance with other heats at Gloucester Park over 2130m tomorrow night and 2536m on December 4.

The Gloucester Park final, also over 2536m, will be broadcast live on Channel 7.