LEAP To Fame is the best pacer Queensland has produced since the mighty Blacks A Fake and makes his long-waited racetrack return to Albion Park on Saturday night.
It kick starts a huge back half of 2023 which will see Leap To Fame race for almost $4 million in prizemoney through features like the $400,000 Blacks A Fake (July 22), $2.1 million TAB Eureka (September 4) and the Brisbane Inter Dominion series in November/December.
Leap To Fame will dominate betting in race seven at Albion Park on Saturday night. It’s his first start since winning the Group 1 NSW Breeders Challenge final at Menangle on October 29, last year.
That win capped a monstrous three-year-old season where he became the first pacer in 13 years to win the huge NSW, Queensland and Victoria Derby finals.
“It’s great to have him back,” trainer-driver Grant Dixon said. “We feel he looks bigger and stronger, but it’s harder for us to judge because we see him every day.
“We actually had him ready to go a month or so back, but changed plans and gave him another little freshen-up.
“We are really mindful of how big the last six months of the year are for him.
“Our plan was to give him the big break after last season and bypass races like the Chariots Of Fire and Miracle Mile to focus on the big races here in Winter and then the TAB Eureka.”
Dixon, who has trained superstars like Colt Thirty One and Majestic Mach, openly admits Leap To Fame is the best yet.
“He just seems quicker and stronger than anything we’ve had before,” he said. “And he’s got a terrific will to win.
“Time will tell whether he really takes that next step and if we get the longevity out of him we did with say a Colt Thirty One, but the signs are good.”
Despite his huge opinion of Leap To Fame, Dixon is realistic in his expectations in coming months,
“As much as we think of him, we’re under no illusion he’s going to just step-up and dominate,” he said.
“Every time I read something about the Carnival, there is another star heading here. He’ll need luck and lots of it will come down to barrier draws.”
The first big target for Leap To Fame, who boasts 17 wins and five placings from just 23 starts, is the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park on July 8.
“The Sunshine Sprint is the week after, but we’re leaning towards skipping that and going to the Blacks A Fake (July 22),” Dixon said.
“Those are the two big targets here (Queensland) and then we’ll have to keep him at his top for the Eureka because it’s only six weeks or so after Blacks A Fake.”
The inaugural $2.1 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 2 is the world’s richest harness race.
“It’s also great to have the Inter Dominion in our own backyard this year. It’s not until late November, so we’ll have a chance to freshen him up a bit after the Eureka before we set our sights on the Inter Dominion,” Dixon said.
· Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
