LEAP To Fame has secured a record-equalling third Australian Grand Circuit title despite being upstaged in last Saturday night’s $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton.
The 40 points for third took the Queensland hero to 260 points, giving him an insurmountable lead given no pacer will contest both remaining legs of the 2025 Grand Circuit.
His nearest rival is Don Hugo on 130 points and he is set to skip both the $250,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on December 6 and $450,000 Group 1 WA Pacing Cup at Gloucester Park six days later.
Leap To Fame will become just the fourth pacer since the inception of the Australian Grand Circuit in 1977 to win the crown three times. The others are greats King Of Swing (2020, ’21 and ’22), Westburn Grant (1990, ’91 and ’92) and Gammalite (1982, ’83 and ’84).
Depending on where you sit, the Victoria Cup pointed to an intriguing 2026 Grand Circuit.
The stunning emergence of Kingman, untapped and two years younger than Leap To Fame, points to exciting times.
Kingman beat Leap To Fame on his merits last Saturday night and did so after a midrace scare when he galloped for a few strides.
“Maybe he jumped something, but it was heart in your mouth stuff. Luckily he got back down quickly and didn’t lose too much ground,” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.
“It was impressive for him to recover from that, settle again and still sprint so quickly when I needed him too at the finish.”
Kingman came out of the one-one to run past Leap To Fame and then gunned down leader Hi Manameisjeff to win running away.
It gave McCarthy his fourth Victoria Cup win as a driver. The others were: Bling It On (2019), For A Reason (2013) and Mr Feelgood (2010).
Kingman is set to become a regular on the Grand Circuit now.
He is set to clash again with Leap To Fame in the Blacks A Fake on December 6.
The pair also look headed for another stoush in the Group 1 Hunter Cup at Melton on February 14.
With champion stayer Swayzee a rising eight-year-old and Leap To Fame turning seven soon, it’s exciting to have young talent coming through.
There was also much to like about TAB Eureka winner Bay Of Biscay’s last-closing and luckless fifth in the Victoria Cup.
The TAB Eureka is a proven pathway for Grand Circuit stars (think Leap To Fame and Don Hugo) and Bay Of Biscay looks to have all the right ingredients.
GRAND CIRCUIT POINTS TABLE
