Bay of Biscay, Emma Stewart and Cam Hart after winning 2025 TAB Eureka
YOUNG gun driver Cam Hart’s long and hugely successful association with champion stayer Swayzee has created a dilemma for the owners of TAB Eureka winner Bay of Biscay.
Hart has driven Bay Of Biscay 11 times, including his two biggest wins in the Chariots Of Fire and last Saturday week’s $2.1mil TAB Eureka.
As much as Hart loves Bay Of Biscay, Swayzee feels part of the family.
Together they have travelled around Australia and NZ and won a string of the biggest races in this part of the world, including a remarkable two NZ Cups.
Only something unforeseen between now and October 18 would see Hart drive anything other than Swayzee in the Victoria Cup when he tries to defend the crown he so dominantly won last year.
Mark Pitt, for so long the “go-to” driver for Bay Of Biscay’s trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin, must be the front-runner to replace Hart.
Pitt’s driven Bay Of Biscay six times for three wins, a second, a third and fourth. Significantly, Pitt took the reins two starts back when Hart had commitments at Menangle the same night.
Back to Hart and Swayzee, they will likely team up for a couple more lead-up races at Menangle before heading south to clash with Swayzee’s arch-rival and half-brother, the amazing Leap To Fame, for the seventh time in the Victoria Cup.
Swayzee is the only pacer to boast two wins over Leap To Fame, but the latter still leads the head-to-head 4-2.
Leap To Fame hasn’t raced since enjoying the absence of Swayzee to win his second Brisbane Inter Dominion crown on July 19.
Australasia’s all-time richest prize money earner is slated to trial at Albion Park next Tuesday.
Meanwhile the white-hot Hart heads towards a potentially huge third successive Menangle meeting on Saturday night.
Just seven days after his TAB Eureka win, Hart returned to “headquarters” for record-equalling six wins last Saturday night.
The only other drivers to drive six winners on a Menangle metropolitan meeting have been champion brothers Luke and Todd McCarthy. Todd did it in July, 2019 and Luke followed the next year in March, 2020.
More remarkably, Hart haul last Saturday including winning all four qualifying heats of the prestigious Carousel series, three of them for leading trainer Jason Grimson.
Hart will partner former Queenslander Our Sweet Delight in the final, who has looked terrific winning both runs for Grimson.
“He’s very smart and we’ll look at taking him down for the Victoria Derby after this race,” Grimson said.
Grimson also has former Kiwi pair Miki Cohen and Tuapeka Lou in the Carousel final.
“It was great to win with all three in the heats and hopefully I can win the final … I’ve finished second in it a few times,” he said.
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
PHOTOS: Club Menangle/Pacepix
