Leap To Fame winning the 2026 Cranbourne Cup
CHAMPIONS do champion things.
And that’s just what Leap To Fame did in the greatest win of his stellar career so far in last night's $150,000 Group 1 Cranbourne Cup (2555m).
In a slugfest reminiscent of the legendary 1986 Bonecrusher/Our Waverley Star Cox Plate, Leap To Fame lifted after looking beaten to rundown his younger and stunning rival Kingman to win a third successive Cranbourne Cup.
Not to mention he also left another champion and arch-rival Swayzee languishing in his wake.
Kingman beat Leap To Fame at their first three meetings, but Leap To Fame has stamped his patch winning the past two.
While he led throughout to beat Kingman in last week’s Ballarat Cup, sitting outside him to win last night was astonishing.
Of his 63 wins from just 81 starts, it’s hard to say he’s ever gone better.
"That's his best win yet," said Leap To Fame's owner Kevin Seymour.
The win also keeps alive Leap To Fame’s quest to win Victoria’s new $1 million bonus.
That was the second of four wins he needed to bank the bonus, meaning he only needs to add next Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Kilmore Cup and the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup a week later.
Even Leap To Fame’s modest trainer-driver Grant Dixon was buzzing after the latest win.
“He felt super the whole way tonight, he has for the last two weeks at home and at the races, to be honest ,” he said.
“Kingman made a real race of it, which was huge after the problems he’d had on the way to the track, but to sit outside him and win was incredible.
“I wasn’t actually sure I’d got there on the line until the numbers went up.
“Trista (Dixon, wife) and I have just been so happy with how he’s been handling the racing. He’s been pulling up and eating so well after the runs.
“He’s showing it in his performances; he’s really standing up.”
Dixon confirmed Leap To Fame would back-up at Kilmore next Saturday to continue to chase the $1 million bonus.
“That’s why we came down here early and, as I’ve said, as long as we can win the bonus, we’ll keep chasing it,” he said.
“It’s easier to do that with him that most horses because he just thrives on the hard racing.
“As a rule, he bounces out of his races and he’s looking for another fight straight away. As long as he’s the same in the next day or so, he’ll be at Kilmore.”
Kingman’s fighting second was more meritorious considering the drama he endured on the way from Shepparton to Cranbourne.
Caretaker trainer Nathan Jack’s float had issues and they were stranded on the side of the road for more than two hours before getting alternate transport to the track.
Champion trotting mare Keayang Zahara added to the greatest night of harness racing Cranbourne has hosted when she topped the $1 million winning her 12th Group 1 in the $75,000 Cranbourne Trotters’ Cup.
It was her 23rd win from 24 starts and means she only has to add the $250,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star at Melton on February 14 to win the new $500,000 trotting bonus.
PHOTO: Stuart McCormick
