THE young guns are circling for this Inter Dominion trotting series.

While top flight Kiwi trotter Bolt For Brilliance will come across at the peak of his powers and clearly be the horse to beat, it's a group of young Aussie trotters who loom as his biggest threat.

And Bolt For Brilliance's trainer-driver Tony Herlihy knows it.

"I've got a lovely trotter and it'll be great to be part of the Inter Dominion again, but I know it won't be easy. It never is, going across to Australia," he said.

“I keep hearing about these young trotters coming through the ranks over there, they seem to be stepping straight into open class and winning well.”

Herlihy is the Inter Dominion’s second-most successful driver overall with a staggering 31 heat wins in his career (19 trotting and 12 pacing), along with four Grand Final wins, all on trotters. They have come with Delft (2006), Buster Hanover (1998), Pride Of Petite (1997) and Diamond Field (1994).

Five-year-old Bolt For Brilliance is showing the sort of potential to sit alongside some of those names.

For so long Bolt For Brilliance lived in the daunting shadow of NZ’s champion trotter Sundees Son, but the tide seemed to be turning earlier this year.

And that’s what prompted Herlihy to cross the ditch, while Sundees Son will almost certainly stay home.

Bolt For Brilliance hasn’t raced since dethroning Sundees Son in the Group 1 Rowe Cup at Auckland’s Alexandra Park on May 27.

He’s just about set to rock again.

So, who are the major names in that “brat pack” of young Aussie trotters Herlihy referred to?

Brent Lilley’s pair Queen Elida and Aldebaran Zeus, along with Chris Lang’s Ollivici are the obvious.

Mufasa Metro and Parisian Artiste are in the frame as well.

Aldebaran Zeus graduated to genuine open-class success with his win in last Saturday night’s Group 1 Australasian Trotting Championship.

While Queen Elida’s won 10 of her past 11 starts and the brilliance she showed through winter hinted at potential greatness.

Ollivici could be anything and took his record to six wins from as many starts with another victory at Melton last Saturday night.

When great trainers like Lilley and Lang start talking about possible European or US campaigns with their young trotters, it’s time to both listen and get excited.

With due respect to the warhorse Maori Law is and continues to be, last year’s Menangle Inter Dominion trotting final was a stinker. One of the weakest we’ve ever seen.

This year has all the makings of being so much more.

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.