By Adam Hamilton
Aussie champs Leap To Fame and Just Believe are drawn to continue their preparations for New Zealand raids with feature wins at Melton on Saturday night.
Leap To Fame will start the hottest favourite in the 50-year history of the $A300,000 Group 1 Victoria after drawing ideally in barrier three. He firmed from $1.60 pre-draw to $1.20 straight after it while Just Believe landed a decisive advantage over arch-rival and boom European import Callmethebreeze in the $A75,000 Group 1 Bill Collins Trotters’ Mile.
Just Believe drew four, but will move into gate three if emergency One Over All comes out of gate one, while Callmethebreeze will start from outside the back row. Just Believe is a commanding $1.30 favourite with Callmethebreeze at $6.
Leap To Fame’s gun draw was an even bigger plus compared to bad draws for key rivals like Swayzee (12), Major Moth (eight), District Attorney (seven) and Better Eclipse (six).
“It’s a pleasant change, we’ll certainly take it,” Leap To Fame’s owner Kevin Seymour said.
“He’s had to overcome so many bad or tricky draws in so many of the biggest races over the past 18 months, so it’s great to have luck go his way this time.
“It’s a race that means a lot to us, especially after getting beaten last year.”
Leap To Fame finished a close third after doing the work outside the leader in last year’s Victoria Cup.
“Look at the past winners … the best horses win the Victoria Cup and we want this on his CV,” Seymour said.
“We felt he wasn’t quite as wound-up as he needed to be last year and he’s also improved with all the racing at the top level over the past year.
“Hopefully he can work forward and get the lead (Saturday), but at worst he’ll be up on the speed without doing any work.”
Trainer Jason Grimson, who has four of the 12 runners, was hoping for a draw to dictate terms with Leap To Fame’s older half-brother, Swayzee.
It landed the other way with Swayzee, who has beaten Leap To Fame at Group 1 level, off the back row in gate 12.
Grimson’s other runners didn’t fare much better with District Attorney out in seven, Major Moth inside the back row (eight) and Nerano (11).
Leap To Fame, Better Eclipse and three of Grimson’s runners – Major Moth, District Attorney and Nerano – are expected to chase the IRT NZ Trotting Cup on November 12.
Eight-time Group 1 winner Catch A Wave, who beat home Leap To Fame when second in last year’s Victoria Cup, drew nicely in gate two, but will need to improve on his lacklustre fifth in the Smoken Up last Saturday.
In a twist, trainer Andy Gath revealed Catch A Wave could also head to Addington.
“Not for the NZ Cup, but the junior free-for-all on Cup Day and the free-for-all on the Friday,” he said.
“If we can’t get suitable flights to Perth for him (for the WA Cup on November 8), I’ll already be going to NZ with Callmethebreeze, so I could take Catch A Wave across, too.”
Callmethebreeze is expected to be on a November 3 flight.
