The powerhouse siblings probably won’t clash again until July’s Inter Dominion.

by Adam Hamilton

Leap To Fame and Swayzee are charging towards more Down Under history.

The pair, who just happen to be siblings, have dominated our biggest races for the past 18 months and look set to continue to do so after headlining an epic Hunter Cup at Melton last Saturday night.

This time it was 7-year-old Swayzee, who upstaged his 6-year-old half-brother Leap To Fame by a head as they obliterated the track record with an unthinkable 1:51.9 mile rate – taking 1.3 off the mark set by Tiger Tara in 2019.

It was a race for the ages and one of the greatest modern-day chapters of the iconic Hunter Cup, Australia’s greatest staying race.

Swayzee’s win took his career earnings to $1,988,393.

He should smash through the $2 million barrier when he next steps out — and won’t have Leap To Fame to contend with — in a $60,000 race at Albury in country New South Wales next Friday (Feb. 14).

That will make Art Major mare Lettucereason, the dam of both Swayzee and Leap To Fame, the only Down Under mare to have produced two pacers to win over $2 million.

Leap To Fame did it long ago. He’s banked $3,315,535.

Incredibly yet frustratingly for the Kahlefeldt family who own her, Lettucereason, who was handy on the track with 17 wins and $180,073, has only had three foals to race. The other was no slouch either. Maximus Red won 24 races and $448,117.

In brighter news, Lettucereason has a 2-year-old filly this season by American Ideal called Senses and recently foaled a filly full-sister to Leap To Fame (by Bettors Delight). Swayzee is by Rock N Roll Heaven.

In any normal era, Swayzee would be a champion.

Not only has he won two New Zealand Cups — the only Aussie pacer to do so — but he’s also bagged a Hunter Cup, Victoria Cup and Blacks A Fake. He beat Leap To Fame in two of those.

If Leap To Fame wasn’t here, minor placings for Swayzee in another Blacks A Fake (last year) and the 2023 Inter Dominion final would have been wins as well.

As great as Swayzee has been in his own right and as competitive as he has been against his younger brother, last Saturday’s Hunter Cup was the win he needed.

In the words of his top young driver Cam Hart: “This is tops. This is my biggest win yet.”

It was Swayzee’s biggest win, too. Sure, those two NZ Cups were phenomenal, but any race in this part of the world without Leap To Fame isn’t the ultimate test.

This Hunter Cup had it all. It was the strongest open-class race Down Under has seen for at least a decade.

Not only was it the fifth clash of Swayzee and Leap To Fame, but the star Kiwis were back in Australia, too, headed by Republican Party. Dont Stop Dreaming and Tact McLeod were there, too.

Throw in the newly crowned and emerging Inter Dominion winner, Don Hugo, and the Hunter Cup oozed depth like the golden days.

The pre-race hype was huge and, crucially, the race delivered.

Leap To Fame drew the worst possible barrier (inside the back row, gate eight), while Swayzee also had the back row but a huge change of pushing through, settling in front of Leap To Fame and then charging around to take the lead.

That’s exactly what happened.

Trainer/driver Grant Dixon was able to quickly get away from the inside on Leap To Fame, but then left with no option to move around midrace and sit outside Swayzee after he had taken the lead from Tact McLeod.

In the pre-race words of Hart on Swayzee: “I can’t beat Leap To Fame for speed, I have to make it a grueling staying test and try to get him chasing hard and outside his comfort zone.”

That’s exactly what he did.

Hart “put the handlebars down” and ran times in front we’ve not seen before in such a staying race.

Swayzee scorched through a :56.3 middle half (1,600-800 meters), while Leap To Fame was making ground three-wide and then sitting outside him.

Hart upped the tempo again with a :27 flat split from the 800-400 meters.

Still, it looked like Leap To Fame was travelling better on the home bend, while Swayzee had been under hard driving from the 550 meters.

“I know it looked that way, but I knew it was Swayzee and he wouldn’t stop,” Dixon said on Leap To Fame. “He just keeps going the same speed. He wasn’t going to come back to us, we had to get past him and that’s so hard to do.”

Swayzee held on to win by a head and beat Leap To Fame for the first time since they first clashed back in July 2023.

Kiwi pair Republican Party and Tact McLeod were very close-up in third and fourth, respectively, underlining their improvement.

It was a race which captivated everyone, even a large number of thoroughbred folks, who have taken much less interest in harness racing over the past decade or so.

Everyone asked, “When will we see them [Leap To Fame and Swayzee] clash again?”

Sadly, we will have to wait a while as they head in different directions in the coming months.

Swayzee is back at Jason Grimson’s Menangle stables preparing for the fourth leg of the NSW Carnival of Cups series at Albury on Feb. 14. If he can win there and again at Penrith on March 14, he will bank a $1 million bonus.

Grimson will bypass the $1 million Miracle Mile on March 8 because Swayzee’s isn’t suited to sprint racing.

His next “major” target is the $1.25 million Group 1 Nullarbor at Perth’s Gloucester Park on April 25.

Leap To Fame has stayed in Victoria. He will be in tomorrow (Feb. 8) night’s $100,000 Group 2 Cranbourne Cup, then head to the $100,000 Newcastle Mile on Feb. 21 before the Miracle Mile.

Instead of the Perth slot race, Leap To Fame is crossing the ditch to race in New Zealand for the first time in the $1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge on April 4.

So, fans will almost certainly have to wait for the enhanced Brisbane Inter Dominion series at Albion Park in July for the big bulls to meet again.

It’s quite fitting given it’s been the scene of four of their five clashes so far.

Fans are already counting down the days.