Champion pacer faces huge challenge from awkward draw

Leap To Fame’s (Bettor’s Delight) build-up to the IRT New Zealand Cup gets more intriguing by the day.

Fresh from his shock harness racing defeat at Melton last Saturday night, the champion Queenslander faces a huge challenge from the worst possible barrier in this week’s $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup.

Leap To Fame eased from $1.25 to $1.60 after drawing inside the back row (gate eight) in the 2240m feature. Many think he could start close to $2.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon said: “It’s going to be very difficult now, especially being over just 2240m, not 2760m.

“If you drag back to get into the clear, you’re conceding a huge start to some really good horses, but if you push through you seriously risk being pocketed and never seeing daylight.

“It’s made it way harder and certainly made for an intriguing race now.”

Dixon was just getting bullish again after the biggest upset in Australian harness racing for 25 years when Leap To Fame was disappointing his lofty standards last Saturday night.

“He seems great, his blood test came back fine and he has worked really well,” he said. “But now we’ve got this draw to deal with.”

It’s fuelled talk of a Victoria Cup hoodoo for Leap To Fame given it’s the one “mega” feature to have eluded him and this will be his third attempt.

“It’s starting to feel like this is a race that’s just not meant to be for him,” Dixon said.

Barrier eight is the same draw Leap To Fame had when beaten as a hot favourite by Swayzee in the Group 1 Hunter Cup at Melton on February 1.

“It’s uncanny how often he’s drawn the two barriers we don’t want, one or eight,” Dixon said. “As I said, at least the Hunter Cup was 2760m and we still got our chance, but it’s much harder again over just 2240m this time.”

So much will now depend on what happens at the start with the two fastest beginners – Catch A Wave and Hi Manameisjeff – drawn one and two and Leap To Fame following out Catch A Wave.

Trainer Andy Gath was thrilled with Catch A Wave’s draw, but thinks NSW speedster Hi Manameisjeff could pack too much speed and cross him at the start.

“He’s very quick out and he doesn’t handle being away from the inside, so they’ll be desperate to lead,” he said. “Sitting on him wouldn’t be the worst thing because I’m sure he wouldn’t hand-up the lead.

“It’s a great draw for us. We’ve got options and with Leap To Fame drawn where he is, we’ve got a really interesting race on our hands now.”

The other major player is Luke McCarthy’s emerging star Kingman, who is drawn well in gate four and will be right on the speed.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand