By Adam Hamilton
Even the notoriously sedate Grant Dixon was buzzing after Leap To Fame’s latest and biggest feature win at Albion Park over the weekend.
But Dixon’s excitement was nothing compared to those on track and the broader harness racing industry who think the sport has found its next megastar.
It was 17 years ago when the great Blacks A Fake burst into the big league winning the Hobart Inter Dominion and Leap To Fame is starting to have the same sort of aura.
It’s a huge call given Blacks A Fake went on to win four Inter Dominion finals, countless other major races and earn his place as one of the greatest pacers Australia has seen.
But that’s the sort of excitement Leap To Fame is stirring.
He won those three major Derbys last season, but has clearly blossomed during the time out as evidenced by a mesmerizing Patrons Purse win at
Redcliffe two starts back.
And then came Saturday night. It was gobsmacking.
Leap To Fame drew outside the front, drifted back to last, but three-wide with cover and then surged around the field to take the front from the classy My Ultimate Ronnie.
The race was over.
Leap To Fame cleared out to win by 11.4m in a 1min52sec mile rate for 2138m, which equalled the track record.
“The most pleasing and even surprising part was how easily he did it,” Dixon said.
“Despite the times they were running, he felt as though there was plenty left at the finish.
“I’m just thrilled for Kevin and Kay Seymour, who have put so much into the game and this is the horse they’ve been waiting for.”
Leap To Fame has won 21 of his 27 starts with another four seconds, a third and a fourth.
Dixon is weighing-up whether to back-up in next Saturday night’s $200,000 Group 1 Sunshine Sprint or wait and go straight to the $400,000 Group 1 Blacks A Fake a week later.
“We’ll see how he pulls up and speak with Kevin and Kay,” he said.
Beyond that, Leap To Fame is into a commanding $2.20 favourite for the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka at Menangle on September 2.
“We had this plan to skip the Chariots and Miracle Mile and wait for a big back half of the year and it’s paying off so far,” Seymour said.
“We’ve been in the game 51 years and he’s the horse we’ve been dreaming of.”
Leap To Fame will round out the year with an Inter Dominion in his own backyard at Albion Park.
His win in the Rising Sun last night continued a fairytale start for the race with champions or potential champions winning all three
runnings.
Amazing Dream won in 2021, Ladies In Red last year and now Leap To Fame.
