Leap To Fame after winning the 2025 Christmas Cup
CHAMPION pacer Leap To Fame has the barrier draw advantage to turn the tables on new sensation Kingman in Saturday night’s $100,000 Group 2 Ballarat Cup (2710m).
Two years Leap To Fame’s junior, Kingman took a 3-0 head-to-head advantage when he used a better barrier draw to lead throughout in last Saturday night’s Group 3 Shepparton Cup.
Kingman had previously beaten Leap To Fame in the Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton on October 18 and the Group 1 NZ Cup at Addington on November 11.
In contrast to Shepparton, Leap To Fame has the draw to press for the lead at Ballarat. He will start from outside the front row (gate seven), while Kingman is the lone back row runner (gate eight).
The race is crucial for both superstars' quests to try and win the new $1 million bonus across the six weeks of Victoria’s Summer of Glory.
Kingman is best placed having won at Shepparton last week. He needs to win three of the four remaining legs, including the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup on February 14, to bank the bonus.
Leap To Fame will need to win all four remaining legs.
Kingman’s trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said the intention was for the five-year-old to contest all four remaining legs.
“If that means racing six weeks in a row, then I’m not fazed by that,” he said.
“He’s a great horse like that. He can race week to week. If I skip a race, I’d only have to work him really strongly in between anyway.
“Obviously, I’ll keep the option open to miss a week if he had a really hard run somewhere, but plans are to go to them all.”
McCarthy said Kingman has thrived since Shepparton.
“He’s bounced through it unbelievably well and is raring to go again,” he said.
“It’s a complete contrast to how he felt when he was beaten in the Bendigo Cup the week before. I knew the travel flattened him and he showed it by how well he bounced back to his best at Shepparton.”
Despite a 3-0 advantage over Leap To Fame, which no other pacer has, McCarthy oozes respect for the Queensland champion.
“He’s been the best for three years and even in defeat, his runs have been enormous in amazing times,” he said.
“We had the draw at Shepparton and he looks to have an edge this time.
“They’re two great horses and it’s a thrill to be lining up in races like this week after week.”
Leap To Fame has eased from $1.50 to $1.60 in early markets with Kingman $2.50 into $2.20.
Freakish trotting mare Keayang Zahara is an unbackable $1.05 favourite to take a step closer to Victoria’s $500,000 trotting bonus when she tackles Saturday night’s Group 1 Ballarat Trotters’ Cup.
The five-year-old won the first leg, the Group 1 Maori Mile, at Melton last Saturday week, but bypassed Shepparton last Saturday.
Keayang Zahara is drawn wide in gate six with main dangers being Im Bobby (gate eight) and Inter Dominion champion Arcee Phoenix (three), who ran the quinella at Shepparton last week.
PHOTO:
Leap To Fame Dan Costello
