CHAMPION local Leap To Fame won’t have his arch-rival and sibling Swayzee to contend with in the Brisbane Inter Dominion series.
Leap To Fame and defending champion headlines a strong set of nominations of the Inter Dominion pacing series, starting at Albion Park on July 5.
But mighty stayer Swayzee, winner of the past two NZ Cups and this year’s Hunter Cup, was a notable absentee when nominations closed today (Wednesday).
Swayzee, who did all the work for a fighting fourth in last Friday night’s $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park, is also missing from the field for the $300,000 Group 1 Fremantle Cup this Friday.
Leap To Fame is a clear $1.75 favourite in his quest for a second win in Australasia’s most iconic race, having won the 2023 Brisbane final.
Grant Dixon’s superstar missed last year’s Sydney final in December after a health setback, which paved the way for Don Hugo to score the most significant win of his career and emerge as a major open-class force.
Don Hugo went on to beat Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile in March, before Leap To Fame gained revenge and beat him in the $NZ1 million Race by betcha at Cambridge in NZ on April 4.
The other notable omission from nominations in the pacing series is last Friday’s brilliant Nullarbor winner, Mister Smartee.
“He’s only had 23 starts and it’s a long and difficult trip from Perth, especially to take on Leap To Fame, who is the best pacer I’ve seen,” Mister Smartee’s trainer Gary Hall Sr said.
“We’ve got the Fremantle Cup this week and the WA Cup to target later in the year, then we can look to travel him for races like the Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile and Inter Dominion when he’s more seasoned again next year.”
The Brisbane Inter Dominion will see a massive prize money hike from $500,000 to $1 million for the pacing final and $150,000 to $500,000 for the trotting final.
It will also break from tradition by reducing the number of qualifying heats from three to two.
Racing Queensland’s senior harness racing manager Andrew Clarke said: “We’re thrilled with the overall response of over 90 pacers and more than 60 trotters being nominated.”
Three NZ pacers have also been nominated: Hunter Cup hard luck story Republican Party and emerging pair Pinseeker and Beach Ball.
In the trotting series, last year’s winner The Locomotive was the obvious omission because he is in Sweden preparing for a string of major races over there. He won’t be back in time to defend his crown on finals night (July 19).
The most important trotting nomination was unbeaten Victorian trotting mare Keayang Zahara.
The four-year-old returns from a spell at Melton on Saturday night and will be a hot favourite to stretch her winning streak to 15 races.
Keayang Zahara is $2.50 prepost favourite for the trotting final.
Stablemate Keayang Chucky, who ran second to The Locomotive in last year’s final, is the other high profile absentee from nominations.
Former Great Southern Star winner and European Group 1 winner Callmethebreeze was nominated and is close to a racetrack return after lingering hoof issues.
Millionaire veteran Oscar Bonavena and the emerging Bet N Win, who clash in Friday night’s Group 1 Rowe Cup in Auckland, head six NZ nominations for the Brisbane trotting series.
