Leap To Fame joins pantheon of Down Under greats, wins his second Inter Dominion
The 6-year-old pacer also surpassed Blacks A Fake as the richest Down Under standardbred of all time.
by Adam Hamilton
A chorus of Down Under legends has anointed Leap To Fame equal to the all-time greats after another record-breaking Inter Dominion win at Albion Park Saturday night (July 20).
Inter Dominion “King” Brian Hancock, Hall of Famers Brian Gath, Mark Purdon, Anthony Butt, Gary Hall, Sr. and current star and key rival Luke McCarthy headlined the greats that spoke in awe of Leap To Fame, Grant Dixon’s 6-year-old.
Leap To Fame’s 56th win from just ٦٩ starts made him the richest all-time Down Under harness horse with $٤,٦٣٠,٨٨٤ – surpassing Blacks A Fake’s $4,575,438.
Gath, who has driven a long list of superstars and won the Inter Dominion pacing final on Markovina, said Leap To Fame’s manners and versatility put him on a pedestal.
“He’s better than most of the greats because he’s everything, except brilliant gate speed,” he said. “I’d have to say he’s as good as we’ve seen. He reminds me of Cardigan Bay, all-round superstar… manners, speed and strength.
“The amazing thing is he’s 6 but still seems to be getting better. He’s better now than he was last year. The way he’s going and with how well he’s been looked after, he could dominate for another two years yet.”
Butt, winner of four Inter Dominion finals, declared: “He’s the top of the list for me now. It was always Blacks A Fake and Lazarus from a New Zealand viewpoint, but he’s passed them both now. He’s just so strong and does it all so easily.”
McCarthy said: “He’s not just the greatest stayer we’ve seen, he’s the best horse full stop.”
Hancock won five Inter Dominion titles, including three in succession with Our Sir Vancelot (1997, ’98 and ’99).
“Although it’s hard to compare horses from different eras, Leap To Fame has got it all,” Hancock said. “He’s special. You can see all the best traits of the Bettors Delight’s come through and Grant [Dixon] has done such a wonderful job with him.”
Hall, Sr., who trained the brilliant Im Themightyquinn to win three successive Inter Dominion finals, declared: “He’s the best. Simple, the best I’ve seen.”
Perhaps the most humbling of all recognition came from Purdon, who holds the record with seven Inter Dominion wins and has been involved with many of New Zealand’s greatest pacers, most notably Lazarus.
“I’ve been lucky with the stars I’ve had and Lazarus is the benchmark, but Leap To Fame is the best I’ve seen,” Purdon said. “He is just so dominant and doesn’t seem to get tired.”
Leap To Fame became only the eighth horse to win multiple Inter Dominion finals, following his success in the 2023 Brisbane final. He missed last year’s Sydney final due to illness.
Despite being a stallion with huge breeding potential, owners Kevin and Kay Seymour will likely race him on to chase a third crown back at Albion Park next July.
Leap To Fame already has the longevity of greatness to match his astonishing strength and talent.
Although he didn’t win a feature race at 2, he raced 11 times for eight wins, two seconds and a fourth.
It was as an early 3-year-old when he romped home in the Group 1 NSW Derby at Menangle March 5, 2022 that first signalled his greatness.
That win moved the media shy and ultra conservative trainer/driver Grant Dixon to say Leap To Fame was already the best he had trained.
Then came two more Derby wins in Queensland and Victoria, then, at 4, Leap To Fame followed huge placings in the TAB Eureka, Blacks A Fake and Victoria Cup with his first Inter Dominion title at Albion Park on Dec. 16, 2023.
At 5, he won a Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile, Blacks A Fake and Sunshine Sprint before he got sick and missed the Victoria and New Zealand Cups and the Sydney Inter Dominion.
There were some doubters early this year when he was beaten into second spot in the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile, but he silenced them as champions do — first by producing the best performance of his career so far at his first race in New Zealand in the Race by Betcha at Cambridge in April, then his clean sweep of this Inter Dominion series.
What’s next?
Another trip to New Zealand, this time for the country’s most iconic race of any code – the famed New Zealand Trotting Cup (actually for pacers) at Addington in Christchurch on Nov. 11.
“He’ll have a break now,” Kevin Seymour said. “We’re going to skip the Victoria Cup this year and focus everything on New Zealand. It’s amazing the difference going to New Zealand and winning that Cambridge race has done for Grant [Dixon’s] mindset. He’s gone from trepidation to asking me all the time when we’re locking in the New Zealand Cup plans.
“It’s because the horse not only raced so well over there, but he thrived during the trip and when he got back home. There’s also a great love and passion for harness racing and its stars in New Zealand, even bigger than in Australia.
“There’s no parochialism or frustration if an Aussie is winning their big races, rather than just enjoy a great horse for what he is and they appreciate us taking him over so they can see him race in the flesh.”
For all of the great moments Leap To Fame has delivered so far, Dixon says a New Zealand Cup win would rival any of them.
“There’s just something really special about it,” Dixon said. “It’s like the Melbourne Cup to them [New Zealanders]. It’s one of the great races, one of the great race days.
“It would mean even more after we were just days from taking him over last year when he got sick and we had to pull the pin.”
Leap To Fame will likely return home to finish the year back at Albion Park for the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint on Nov. 29 and the Group 1 Blacks A Fake on Dec. 6.
ARCEE PHOENIX TAKES INTER DOMINION TROTTING FINAL
Arcee Phoenix stamped himself as the new trotting king when he blasted past $1 million in prize money with an all-the-way win in Saturday’s (July 19) $500,000 Inter Dominion trotting final.
He became just the fifth Aussie-trained trotter to do so, following Just Believe, Sundons Gift, Keystone Del and Tornado Valley.
And Arcee Phoenix, who is just now hitting his straps as a 6-year-old, looks to have so much ahead. He’s won 17 of his 53 starts.
“The ability has always been there, but we’ve had to be patient and he’s rewarding us,” trainer/driver Chris Svanosio said. “I have to thank my late father-in-law, Dr. Alistair McLean, for his guidance. This horse may not have even made it to the races without him.
“There’s lots of emotions tonight… excitement and relief are two… it’s been a big build-up. We did it.”
Arcee Phoenix’s win followed his triumph in New Zealand’s richest trotting race back in April, the $600,000 TAB Trot.
“It’s been the year we always dreamed he might give us,” Svanosio said.
Arcee Phoenix used barrier 1 to lead easily, dictated terms and ripped home in :55.4 and 27.7 seconds to win by 8.5 meters.
Young Kiwi star Bet N Win ran second after trailing the winner, but lost a shoe in the early stages and driver Bob Butt said he never trotted well afterwards.
Remarkable 9-year-old Kiwi Oscar Bonavena stormed home from last to grab third.
