NZ Cup plan for Leap To Fame

Returning to Cambridge next month may not be Leap To Fame’s (Bettor’s Delight) last Kiwi harness racing raid.

His owner Kevin Seymour has opened the door for another potential New Zealand Cup tilt in November.

While expectation was growing Leap To Fame would be retired to stud after chasing a third Inter Dominion title in Brisbane in July, Seymour hinted otherwise.

“We would love to go back and have another crack at the NZ Cup,” he said. “I know Grant (Dixon, trainer-driver) feels the same way,” he said.

“We feel a bit of unfinished business. He had a hard run last year and went down fighting, but he looks to be racing even better now.

“I know people want to know our plans, but we genuinely don’t have any.

“We’ve agreed to let the horse tell us, through his performances, when it’s time to retire him.

“For now, we’re focused on getting back to Cambridge and the Inter Dominion, then we’ll reassess everything.”

Seymour didn’t deny talk he was preparing a stud deal in the background.

“Yes, but we have to do that because if he was to retire this year, we would need everything in place,” he said.

“We’re not doing that because he will retire, it is in case we retire him.”

Seymour then quickly switched talk back to his excitement at returning to Cambridge.

“We had such a great trip last year and the horse thrived,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to pretty much replicate what we did last year with him.

“He’s back home now where he loves it most, then he’ll go back to Sydney by road and it seems the flight to Auckland will be Easter Saturday or Sunday.

“He won’t race over there before The Race and he won’t be staying after it. It’s a hit-and-run trip.”

It looks likely Leap To Fame will go into the $1 million The Race without another start, meaning he will be a month between runs.

“Grant and Trista seem to think that won’t be a problem and it would be very hard to get a race to ‘stand-up’ (with enough starters) at Albion Park if we nominate him,” Seymour said.

“The other reason for bringing him home straight after Cambridge is how long Grant’s already been away this year. He’s had six weeks in Melbourne and two weeks in Sydney. That’s a huge ask with a big stable and young family.

“We also want time to give him (Leap To Fame) a bit of a break at home before bringing him back up for the Inter Dominion. He has had a busy start to the year.”

Leap To Fame has already raced eight times in 2026 for six wins, two seconds and banked $A876,000.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand