by Adam Hamilton

The superstars are holding this Inter Dominion together.

Down Under harness racing’s most historic and iconic event is looking decidedly thin and debate rages over the time of year it is held and the disappointingly low prize money levels compared to both years gone by and other major races.

But one that can elevate any racing event is star power and the upcoming Brisbane Inter Dominion certainly has its share of that – in both the pacing and trotting divisions.

Local hero Leap To Fame, who has shown signs of being the sport’s next big thing, is almost a dream headline act in the pacing series.

On the trotting side of things, it’s all about Just Believe, who is back home and firing after a mid-year trip to Sweden which gained him serious international credibility.

The great thing about the Inter Dominion is how often we get to see the stars race. It consists of a compulsory three rounds of qualifying heats into a Grand Final for the top points earners.

This year the whole series is at Albion Park, affectionally known as “The Creek.” It starts on Friday (Dec. 1). The other heats are Tuesday (Dec. 5) and Saturday (Dec. 9) ahead of the Grand Finals on Saturday (Dec. 16).

Leap To Fame and Just Believe are the “poster boys” of it all so let’s delve into them a little more.

LEAP TO FAME

This 4-year-old is the rock star of the sport.

Sure, he’s hit a few hurdles with recent defeats in races like the TAB Eureka, Blacks A Fake and Victoria, but it’s only served to underline how hard it is — especially Down Under — to step from racing your own age into the open-aged big league.

In each of those high-profile defeats, Leap To Fame has endured the hardest race (outside the leader), been without a doubt the run of the race and gone down fighting.

He’s still banked almost $1 million this season from 12 starts for eight wins, two seconds and a third.

This is the perfect stage for him to farewell his first season in the big league.

It’s his own backyard at Albion Park in Brisbane and his trainer/driver Grant Dixon gets his well-deserved and overdue opportunity to add one of Down Under’s marquee races to his impressively, but largely Queensland-based CV.

Dixon, 51, has driven almost 5,200 winners, including 20 at the Group 1 level.

“Obviously it’s something I’d love to do,” he said. “I haven’t won one of those really big Group 1 races you dream of achieving in the game. In some ways it’s part of being in Queensland, rather than the biggest traditional states like NSW and Victoria, and while I’ve had some nice horses that have taken me into some of those races, Leap To Fame is that next level up.

“He’s the horse any trainer would dream of getting and I’m just so fortunate he’s coming along, especially at this stage of my career.”

Dixon has driven in four Inter Dominion pacing finals, but not finished better than seventh with Atomic Ark in 2010. The others were: I Am Sam (10th in 2009); Devil Dodger (10th in 2013) and Majestic Mach (12th in 2015).

“I guess it adds a bit to it, having a chance of winning an Inter Dominion at home, but I’d be happy to win one anywhere,” Dixon said. “My dream was always to win at Moonee Valley [Melbourne] or Harold Park [Sydney] back in the day. I just thought the best Inter Dominion at those tracks and the atmosphere of them was something else.”

Dixon can’t fault Leap To Fame’s preparation for the series.

“I know he’s had a few tough runs recently, but we deliberately gave him a quiet start to the year and missed a race like the Miracle Mile [in March] with a view to this busy last five months or so of the year,” he said. “He’s come through his win a couple of weeks ago well. I could’ve run him again this week but didn’t think he needed it after running such a quick time [track record] in that latest run.

“I think he’s thrived on the racing. His weight is great and he seems really bright. We’re looking forward to the series.”

JUST BELIEVE

When trainers Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars dared to take
Just Believe across to the famed Elitloppet earlier this year, he was considered a bit of a “token Aussie invite” by many Europeans.

That’s fair given Aussie and Kiwi trotters at the Elitloppet had barely caused a ripple in years gone by.

But Just Believe silenced the doubters.

After being checked and breaking then losing all chance in his Elitloppet heat, the 7-year-old then produced fantastic placings in his other two Group 1 Swedish races.

The last of them being when he did all the work and sat parked, but dared to push local pin-up trotter Francesco Zet to the wire with an outstanding race for second.

The Swedes had gone from scoffing at Just Believe, to pleading with Sugars and Tubbs to keep him in the country longer.

But home he went.

After quarantine stints in Germany and back home in Australia, Just Believe had a spell and Tubbs and Sugars set their sights on one thing, defending his Inter Dominion crown in Brisbane.

“We thought it could be a challenge to get him back up, but it’s been quite the opposite,” Sugars said. “He came to hand quickly and really strongly. Everything at home told us he was at least as good, maybe a touch better, than he was before he went to Sweden.”

And that’s just how Just Believe looked winning his first and only lead-up race for the Inter Dominion at Bendigo last Friday week. He smashed the track record and seemed to win with plenty in the tank, despite not having raced since June 17 in Sweden.

Champion Aussie trotting trainer Chris Lang, who took Sundons Gift across for the 2009 Elitlopp, wasn’t surprised with Just Believe’s sparkling return.

“This could be history repeating itself,” Lang said. “When I took Sundons Gift across he was a lovely horse, but when he came home, he just went to another level and was almost unbeatable for the next 18 months.

“Like Just Believe, Sundons Gift won the Inter Dominion before he left and came back to win it again, albeit much easier than the first one. I came back a better trainer and he came back a better horse. He was just bigger, better and stronger.”

Lang has a big opinion of his 5-year-old trotter Ollivici, but concedes he is probably running for minor money in Brisbane.

“All of Just Believe’s opposition, not just me, got a bit of a reality check watching him win and really just jog-in last week,” he said. “I think Ollivici will struggle to beat him, but I’m hoping this trip could be the making of him and we could bridge the gap over the next 12 months.”

The other big player in the trotting series is 5-year-old mare Queen Elida, who has won 12 of her previous 13 starts before having to settle for second behind Just Believe last Friday week.

“She’s an awesome [mare] Queen Elida, but she hasn’t had Just Believe to contend with and he just looks superior to everything at the moment,” Lang said.