Plans firm for Leap To Fame's New Zealand Cup bid

By Adam Hamilton

Champion Aussie pacer Leap To Fame’s IRT New Zealand Trotting Cup preparation will see him head to Victoria for two feature races in coming weeks.

The $3.2 million-earner will return from a spell in a free-for-all at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Then it’s growing increasingly likely he will immediately head south for the $50,000 Smoken Up Sprint at Melton on October 5.

Owner Kevin Seymour said it was important to get two lead-up runs into Leap To Fame ahead of the $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup on October 12.

“He ran third last year (in the Victoria Cup) and it was a big run after doing all the work, but Grant (Dixon, trainer-driver) felt he didn’t quite have him wound up enough for a big race like that,” Seymour said.

“We want to make sure that’s not the case again, so going down early and getting a strong hit out in a race like the Smoken Up makes a lot of sense.

“If we stay here (Brisbane), there’s no guarantee the free-for-all would even go ahead (on October 5).”

Leap To Fame hasn’t raced since his epic win in the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on July 27.

It was his third “mega” win this year after victories in the Hunter Cup (February) and Miracle Mile (March).

The aim is to complete a clean sweep of the “majors” in the one year by adding the Victoria and NZ Cups, along with a successful Inter Dominion title defence at Menangle in December.

“He worked really well on Thursday and you could hear just talking to Grant he felt the horse was right where he wanted him,” Seymour said.

“Providing all goes well this Saturday, we’ll very likely head to Victoria for the two runs.

“I’d love to win another Victoria Cup. It’s a race with so much history and one Leap To Fame deserves to have on his CV.”

Seymour part-owned star US import Mr Feelgood when he won the 2010 Victoria Cup, but has since had minor placings with Mr Feelgood (second in 2011), Colt Thirty One (second in 2019) and Leap To Fame (third last year).

Leap To Fame’s NZ travel plans won’t be finalised until after the Victoria Cup, which is exactly one month before the New Zealand Cup at Addington.

“There’s lots of options as far as getting across,” he said. “You’ve still got to take it one big race at a time, but if he’s good after Melton, we’ll head across (to NZ).

“We’ve said all along we’d love to run in a great race like the NZ Cup and we think it would really suit him.”

In the futures market Leap To fame is currently a $1.60 favourite for the New Zealand Cup on Tuesday, November 12, with Don't Stop Dreaming and Merlin equal second favourite at $6.