Grant Dixon – Harness racing’s gracious and affable ambassador

It’s the wish of every harness racing trainer to prepare an out and out superstar. And often the arrival of such a champion changes one’s life.

But that’s not the case with Leap to Fame’s (Bettors Delight) trainer Grant Dixon who throughout his glittering career has maintained a quiet and unassuming character. His low key manner affirms the fact that he does not seek the limelight.

Dixon who hails from the picturesque area of Tambourine in the South of Queensland was always going to follow in the footsteps of his father Bill who like so many other dedicated trainers proved to be the ideal mentor for Grant.

“I wasn’t all that good at school” mused Dixon, “so it was always going to be a case of me getting into the sport early in my career.”

Ever since Dixon drove his first winner Battle Cycle at the Gold Coast in January 1988, he has gone from strength to strength driving 5,308 winners and 30 Group 1 events as well as training 3,460 winners that included 33 Group 1 races. Those incredible statistics have seen him awarded twelve time Queensland driver of the year.

But such success demands great sacrifices. His stables can take up to 80 horses but presently he and his wife Trista have 60 in work that requires twelve full time staff. Dixon concedes that wife Trista’s devotion and effort are the key factor in the stable’s success.

“Trista is up at 4am every morning, start to set things up and prepares their three children Thomas (12) Jai (10) and Cooper (5) for school and by then we all have started work.”

Despite being a prolific winning stable, Dixon highlights the beginning of the good horses in his stable.

“It was Jeremy Lee who was probably our first star, he won a Sires Stake and the New South Wales Derby in 1993 and then a year later in 1994 Speed Ace earned the title of fastest two year old in Australasia.

“Then we had Colt Thirty One.” Now an acclaimed sire Colt Thirty One was a great performer for Dixon winning a Blacks A Fake, Victoria Derby and the Queensland bred two and three year old events amongst big races that earned him Queensland Horse of the Year on three occasions.

Any leading trainer requires a loyal coterie of owners and Dixon has had a long association with many including Kevin and Kay Seymour.

“When Mark Litchtwark retired his stable was spread around, I was able to obtain a few of his horses for Kevin and Kay. We had Fate’s Folly and Port Bluff (who was by Fake Left). Then we had the progeny of the mare Ark Marie who left performers such as Atomic Ark and Ark Arena.”

Dixon remembers well how he obtained Leap to Fame.

“Kevin had sent me to the NSW Sales because we were interested in the Sires Stakes series. He wanted a Bettors Delight colt. We got Tims A Trooper for $15,000 so we had a bit more to play with to get Leap to Fame.”

“We had him for about four to five months before his debut at Albion Park.” On that occasion he finished second but atoned shortly at Albion Park and the rest as they say is history as Leap to Fame has taken nearly all before him.

“I knew that he was good but it wasn’t until after he won the NSW Derby that I thought he was as in the same class as Colt Thirty One.”

“Trista does a lot of the ground work with him. We can spend up to an hour a day just with him. He’s always been a healthy horse. We could tell he was off towards the end of last year that interrupted his preparation. Naturally we always put his health first. He is a once in a lifetime performer.”

“He plays around not in an aggressive way but he’ll try to nip you and lifts his leg. He knows his race day well and the routine. And he travels well.”

Dixon is also highly regarded as a trainer of trotters. His best performer was the extraordinarily tough Our Overanova (Monarchy) who he prepared another set of loyal owners in Neil and Sharon Mitchell. Our Overanova won 63 races of which 51 were at his favourite Albion Park circuit.

Never one to rest on his laurels Dixon has a number of highly talented young pacers that are sure to make their presence felt this season including Free Thinker (whom Dixon thinks highly of), Fate Awaits, Fire Razor, Path to Greatness and the very smart filly Cool n Classy.

Ever conscious of the needs for harness racing to move ahead Dixon concedes that it is expensive to set up. But one issue that he is focussed on is the need for a training centre which if properly managed could prove to be a bigger incentive for newcomers to become involved.

Leap to Fame will continue to chase the big races around the country and if goes as expected he will front up to take on the Inter Dominion at his home track at Albion Park in July in order to emulate his success in the 2023 series.

But irrespective of where Leap to Fame runs, we can be always be sure that Grant Dixon will be committed to his champion but at the same time maintain his support to his loyal family, stable and many owners who share an admiration of the modest and humble horseman who deserves all of the many accolades that he has and will continue to receive.

by Tony Milanese, for Harnesslink