Leap To Fame winning the 2026 Miracle Mile
THE Leap To Fame show isn’t stopping anytime soon.
The champion Queenslander underlined why many say he’s Australasia’s greatest pacer of all-time with another off-the-canvas win in last night’s $1 million Miracle Mile.
It was his second win (he also won in 2024) from three attempts at the iconic race and he finished a close and brave second in the other (last year).
Leap To Fame has also won two Inter Dominion finals, a Hunter Cup, a Blacks A Fake and NZ’s richest slot race, the Race by betcha at Cambridge.
Co-trainer Trista Dixon confirmed the seven-year-old, who boasts an incredible 66 wins from 85 starts and 15 Group 1 wins, would return to Cambridge to defend that title on April 10.
And then it’s back to Queensland to chase a third Inter Dominion title at his home track, Albion Park, in July.
That’s when the huge decision will be made whether he retires to stud or racing on for another season.
“I’ve heard the talk about him retiring and I can honestly say we haven’t made a decision,” owner Kevin Seymour said. “We’ve agreed to stick to this plan of NZ and the Inter Dominion and then make a call.
“I think the talk has come from the fact we are putting certain things in place should we retire him, but that’s simply because that all takes time and if we retire him after the Inter Dominion, the breeding season won’t be far away.
“For now, all we're focused on is getting him back to NZ where he produced one of the best wins of his career last year and then trying to win another Inter Dominion.”
Leap To Fame is heading straight back to Queensland to spend some time in his own barn at Grant and Trista Dixon’s Tambourine property outside Brisbane before the focus is on NZ.
“We’ll then bring him back to Sydney (by road) and get a flight to NZ (Auckland) on Easter Saturday or Sunday,” Trista Dixon said.
“That timing will give us a chance to do pretty much the same as we did with him last year when he raced so well and thrived on that trip (to Cambridge).”
As he has done so often, Leap To Fame overcame the hardest run of the race, outside leader and main danger Swayzee, and still won.
Fellow Queenslander The Janitor emerged from the pack and looked like running straight past Leap To Fame with 100m to run.
“I thought I had him when we really let down, but he dug in and kicked back,” The Janitor’s driver Pete McMullen said.
The Janitor will accompany Leap To Fame to Cambridge for the $NZ 1 million Race by betcha.
Defending champion Don Hugo, who stalked Leap To Fame everywhere, ran a strong third but was no match.
“He’s just an out-and-out champion, one of the best we’ve seen,” Don Hugo’s trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.
Don Hugo will be freshened-up and head to Perth for the Group 1 double - $1.25mil Nullarbor and $300,000 Fremantle Cup - on April 17 and 24.
Joining Leap To Fame at Cambridge, to give Australia a formidable team, is freakish trotting mare Keayang Zahara.
She won a record-equalling 15th Group 1 race and took her record to 27 wins from 28 starts when she romped home in the $100,000 Hammerhead Mile.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
