Hi Manameisjeff NZ Photo by Club Menangle
GUN for hire Cam Hart will head interstate again this weekend to chase more feature race glory.
The NSW-based Hart holds a commanding statewide and Menangle premiership lead despite spending so much time on the road this year.
Last Saturday night he teamed with the powerhouse Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin stable to win two of the $100,000 Vicbred finals on Arrhythmia and Beach Diamond.
This week, he heads north with his biggest supporter Jason Grimson to try and snare the first of the Queensland carnival features, the $75,000 Group 2 Sunshine Sprint with star speedster Hi Manameisjeff at Albion Park.
Hart has driven the injury-plagued pacer 16 times for 10 wins.
Just two starts back, they combined to lead and run second to Kingman in the Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton where Leap To Fame was third.
The last time Hart drove Hi Manameisjeff at Albion Park, the gelding ran third to Leap To Fame in last year’s Sunshine Sprint when it was a Group 1 race and held in July.
Although Leap To Fame has bypassed this week, having only returned late last week from his NZ campaign, this is still a strong and fascinating Sunshine Sprint.
“This looks a near perfect race for him from the good draw (gate four) if he can find the lead, which I think he can,” Hart said.
“I reckon he’ll easily get across The Janitor at the start and Frankie Ferocious has the speed to hold us, but would be happy taking a sit on a horse like ‘Jeff’.
“I know ‘Jeff’ only ran sixth last start (at Menangle), but it was an enormous run given the work he did and the time they ran. He only got tired in the last 80m or so.
“He’s not as one-dimensional as people think. When he ran third in that Sunshine Sprint 18 months ago, he sat outside Leap To Fame and kept digging deep.”
Former Inter Dominion, TAB Eureka and Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo is the class factor, but will have to overcome a back row draw (gate 10).
“I’ve been thrilled with his two runs back. He couldn’t have gone any better last time.” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said. “He should be right at his top now, but you’re always in the hands of others a bit when you draw the back in the sprint race, especially at Albion Park.”
The other big gun is the emerging The Janitor, who is second-only to Leap To Fame as the best pacer in Queensland.
After making a costly mistake in the Group 1 Len Smith at Menangle in September, The Janitor has returned with three slick Albion Park wins to stretch his record to 17 wins from just 28 starts.
The four-year-old is ideally drawn in gate two to press for the most significant win of his career yet and show he will be a major force in next week’s $250,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake.
Trainer-driver Grant Dixon will make a call in coming days whether Leap To Fame defends his Blacks A Fake crown.
“Like always with him, we’ll let the horse tell us that he’s bounced back well enough from the NZ trip,” he said. “The plan is to run him if we think he’s raring to go.”
PHOTO: Club Menangle
