Albion Park hosts NZ-bound favourites and a Eureka hopeful

Leap To Fame (Bettors Delight – Lettucereason) and Gus (Majestic Son – Kylie Ree) are TAB favourites for Group 1 features at Addington on November 10, and both race at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Leap To Fame is $1.60 favourite in TAB’s New Zealand Trotting Cup futures market. On Saturday he is a $1.04 favourite in the Open Pace (race two, 7.21pm) over 1660m, drawn barrier seven with Grant Dixon driving. The seven-year-old horse holds the 1660m track record of 1:48.6.

He is unbeaten in three starts this preparation. He resumed with a 6.7-metre win over 1660m on September 26 in a 1:49.1 mile rate, won by 3.1 metres over 2138m under co-trainer Trista Dixon on October 3, then won by 26.1 metres at $1.03 last Saturday in a field cut to four by scratchings.

Catseye Beach and Smarter Than You, second and third that night, meet him again.

Dixon outlined the plan last month, with the champion due to fly to New Zealand from Sydney on November 3.

“We’d love to get three or four runs into him before going to NZ,” Grant Dixon said.

Saturday will be his fourth. He has 15 wins and three seconds from 18 starts this season, and 75 wins from 95 career starts for $6,567,238.

Gus resumes half an hour later in the Wolf Signs Trotters Discretionary Handicap (race three, 7.54pm) over 2647m from a stand. The seven-year-old gelding, trained by Chantal Turpin and driven by Pete McMullen, is $1.50 favourite from the back mark of 50 metres. He is also TAB’s $2 favourite for the Dominion Trot, which he won at Addington last year.

He has not raced since winning the 2026 Ladbrokes Inter Dominion Trotting Championship Grand Final at Albion Park on July 18, beating Gotfeelingsyouknow by 1.2 metres at $1.85 over 2680m in a 1:57.7 mile rate.

Earlier this month McMullen said Gus might go straight to the Dominion rather than race at home.

“They are discretionary handicaps and we’re worried he’ll get 50m,” Pete McMullen said.

He got exactly that, 20 metres behind stablemate Pinnie, Keayang Stuka and Zealous Spur NZ. Gus holds the 2647m track record of 1:57.8 and has won 12 of his 24 standing-start races. He is due to fly to New Zealand on November 1.

Later, Fate Awaits (Always B Miki – For All We Know) is $1.22 favourite in the Lather Up 1.46 – The Silent Assassin Junior FFA (race five, 9.07pm) over 2138m, from barrier one for Grant Dixon.

Like Leap To Fame, the four-year-old horse races for Solid Earth Pty Ltd. Solid Earth holds one of the 10 slots in the $1.5 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on November 21 and has not yet named its runner. Harnesslink’s slot forecast this week listed Fate Awaits as the probable selection, with Path To Greatness the alternative. Stablemate Path To Greatness also lines up, driven by Trista Dixon.

Fate Awaits is $9 in TAB’s Eureka futures market, which refunds bets if he misses a slot. He has won four of his last five starts. He won a 2647m standing-start race from 20 metres by 7.9 metres on October 6, then won over 1660m by 1.6 metres at $1.07 last Saturday in a 1:51.6 mile rate. His only defeat in that sequence was a 2.4-metre second to Final Deadline NZ on September 26.

Fate Awaits has won six of 13 starts this season and 15 of 38 overall, with seven seconds and nine thirds, for $819,057.

He was bred by P N and D E Thurston and is trained by Grant Dixon.

Disclosure: Harnesslink is a slot holder for the 2026 TAB Eureka.

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