By Adam Hamilton
Wanted – a slot in the $1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge on Friday, April 4.
That’s the call from Tact McLeod’s driver and caretaker trainer Anthony Butt after the emerging Kiwi pacer ran a slashing third in Saturday night’s stellar Miracle Mile behind Don Hugo.
“That’s where we want to go,” Butt said. “It would be a perfect race for him with his gate speed around the Cambridge track.
“I’m so proud of how well he’s stepped into the big league with those big runs in the Hunter Cup and now the Miracle Mile.
“I’m not sure who or what the situation is with slots, but if someone is looking for a serious winning chance at Cambridge, this horse has the form on the board.”
Tact McLeod blasted off the gate as expected and dashed to the lead early before Butt sensibly took a sit on Don Hugo.
The Mark Jones-trained pacer stuck on well for a close third, beaten just 4.8m in a slick 1min48.4sec mile.
“They ran home in 26.3sec which made it hard to make any real ground on the two in front, but he stuck at it really well,” Butt said.
“We’ll get him back home now and just keep training him as though he’s going to race at Cambridge.
“If he doesn’t get a slot, then he can go back to NZ and have a good spell.
“There’s a flight (Melbourne to Auckland) eight days before the Cambridge race and he’ll be on that either way.”
Meanwhile after Leap To Fame’s second in the Miracle Mile owner Kevin Seymour has confirmed the trip is a goer and Leap To Fame would, as previously indicated, go early to have a lead-up run in the Waikato Flying Mile at Cambridge on March 28.
“We have had a bit to weigh-up, but he’s going to NZ,” Seymour said.
“We’d originally planned to get him back home for a few days after the Miracle Mile, but he came through it well and Grant (Dixon) decided to keep him in Sydney at Robbie Morris’ place.
“He’ll stay there and fly from Sydney to Auckland in plenty of time to settle in and get ready for that lead-up race at Cambridge.”
Leap To Fame’s NZ trip is much-anticipated after two previous trips across the ditch – for last year’s Race by Grins and the NZ Cup – were both aborted.
“It’s important to us he goes to NZ and people get to see him in the flesh over there,” Seymour said.
“We were especially disappointed when we had to cancel that NZ Cup trip so close to him going across late last year.
“Yes, it’s a big trip, but now he’s come through the Miracle Mile well, our focus turns to Cambridge.”
Leap To Fame narrowly failed to successfully defend his Miracle Mile crown last Saturday night.
The six-year-old did the work outside leader and winner Don Hugo and went down fighting by 1.2m in a slick 1min48.4sec mile.
It’s his second defeat in as many big major races so far in 2025.
Don Hugo and luckless Miracle Mile fourth placegetter Swayzee are heading to Perth later next month for the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park.
