LEAP To Fame’s Brisbane Inter Dominion romp has given him a commanding lead in his quest for a third successive Grand Circuit champion crown.
The 100 points he snared for winning, added to his two lots of 60 points for seconds in the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile, propelled the six-year-old to 220 points, 90 clear of nearest rival, Don Hugo.
Don Hugo picked up 10 points for his fourth in the Inter Dominion final to move to outright second, ahead of Swayzee (120 points) and Mister Smartee (100) who both bypassed the Brisbane series.
The other mover was Shannon Price’s classy pacer Speak The Truth, who’s 60 points for finishing second in the Brisbane final took him to equal fifth with veteran WA star Minstrel and talented Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod on 60 points.
Leap To Fame’s rivals will have their chance to bridge the gap in the next (fifth) leg of the seven-race series, the $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton on October 18.
Owner Kevin Seymour has already confirmed Leap To Fame won’t tackle the race, but Swayzee is being set for it.
Leap To Fame added to his haul of history-making moments with his dominant win last Saturday night.
He remains unbeaten across seven Inter Dominion races – five heats and two finals.
The $540,000 first prize made him the richest all-time Australasian harness horse with $4,630,884. He overtook another great Queenslander, Black A Fake’s ($4,575,438).
Seymour described this second Inter Dominion as more relief than excitement.
“More so for Grant and Trista (Dixon),” he said. “The pressure and sheer expectation the horse will just turn up and win was immense. It’s racing, so anything can happen, but thankfully he delivered again.
“It really is a dream come true for Kay and I and to share it with great people like Grant and Trista makes it that much better again.”
Excitingly, Leap To Fame will get his chance to chase a third Inter Dominion crown next year.
“The studs want him, but Kay won’t let me retire him when he’s so fit and well,” Seymour said.
“We’ve waited over 50 years for a horse like him, so we’re going to enjoy him for as long as Grant thinks he’s fit and enjoying his racing.”
Grand Circuit Points Table
