Just Believe’s historic NZ Horse of the Year crown could be a sign of things to come.

With NZ prizemoney on the rise and rich new races popping up, it’s a happy hunting ground for Aussie trainers.

We got a strong sign of that last year with Just Believe, Better Eclipse, Keayang Zahara, Swayzee and others crossing the ditch with great success.

On Saturday night, Just Believe became just the second Aussie horse and the first since Steel Jaw 40 years ago to win the NZ Horse of the Year title.

And Keayang Zahara chimed in, too. She unanimously won the NZ 3YO Trotting Filly of the Year.

Leap To Fame had two aborted trips to NZ last year – for the Cambridge slot race and NZ Cup – but will finally make it across for the $NZ1mil Race by Betcha at Cambridge on April 4.

His owners Kevin and Kay Seymour put it beyond doubt when they bought their own slot.

Eight-time Group 1 winner Catch A Wave is also a lock for the same race.

The Locomotive, Queen Elida and Arcee Phoenix are the Aussies set to tackle the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot on the same night, with connections still hoping to land a slot with the exciting Keayang Chucky.

Although Keayang Zahara won’t be back racing until around April/May, the Brisbane Inter Dominion looks her first main target.

And given how she thrived in Christchurch late last year, it looks logical Marg and Paddy Lee would take her back for races like the Dominion and NZ Trotting free-for-all at Addington last this year.

Also, Jason Grimson has already flagged an attempted three-peat with Swayzee in the NZ Cup.

And there’s no reason Leap To Fame wouldn’t go that way too if Cambridge is a success. Bringing the Inter Dominion forward from December to July makes the NZ Cup a much more attractive option.

But, excitingly, this resurgence of the Trans-Tasman competition and rivalry will be a two-way street.

We’ve already seen that.

Republican Party, Dont Stop Dreaming, Tact McLeod and Oscar Bonavena didn’t win, but added plenty to Hunter Cup night.

Then Dont Stop Dreaming "made" the Cranbourne Cup as a spectacle with a fantastic second to Leap To Fame, showing he's peaking at the right time for Sydney.

Oscar Bonavena made a lie of his uncharacteristic Great Southern Star final flop with a breathtaking last-to-first win in the Group 1 Bruce Skeggs Trotters' Cup. 

We will then see Merlin, Better Knuckle Up, Sooner The Bettor and others join the mix at Miracle Mile/Chariots Of Fire time.

And every Kiwi you speak to is thrilled with the new Inter Dominion timeslot.

“It’s a game changer for us Kiwis having it in July,” trainer Cran Dalgety said. “December was awful for us, but this really fits well.

“And having it in Queensland at that time of the year is great, too. It’s a destination place and everyone has great memories of trips to those big Inter Dominions they’ve had in years gone by.”

That fantastic Inter Dominion final back in December, where Don Hugo won a titanic tussle with Minstrel, and then one of the great Hunter Cups of the modern era, harness racing has some serious eyeballs back on it.

A wonderful crop of horses and thriving Trans-Tasman rivalry can help take advantage of that.