Trainer-driver Grant Dixon has drawn up a meticulous itinerary to cover the marathon road trip from his Tambourine stables to Shepparton for the $50,000 Gold Cup on Saturday evening.
“I’ve thought about it a lot. That’s why we left so early. We’ll make the journey from our stables to Menangle and spend a day or so there (at Robbie and KerryAnn Morris’ stables),” he said.
“Instead of staying in Melton like we normally do in Victoria, we’re going from Menangle to Shepparton and staying with Nathan Jack.
“The fact that our first target is in Shepparton is a big reason we are going to Victoria ahead of schedule and trying the bonus. It’s a few hours less travel from Menangle (than Melton).”
To win the bonus, Leap To Fame must win at least four of the five remaining legs in the Victorian Summer of Glory series, including the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup on February 14.
“We will continue to give him the opportunity to win if he continues to win,” said Dixon.
“So if he wins at Shepparton he will go to the Ballarat Cup a week later. The same goes for Ballarat, if he wins that he will be in the Cranbourne Cup for the third week in a row.”
“That’s the plan anyway. If he wins this week we’ll move him to Melton (Clinton Welsh’s stable) for the remainder of his stay (in Victoria).”
Leap To Fame is already Australia’s richest pacer of all time with his 61 wins from just 78 starts worth $5,019,359.
To win in Shepparton on Saturday he will have to do something Leap To Fame hasn’t done yet.
In a small but select field of five, his biggest rival will be Luke McCarthy’s new pace sensation Kingman, who will be favorite after taking the lead from gate one. Leap To Fame has barrier three.
The pair met just twice, with Kingman beating Leap To Fame to third place in the Group 1 Victoria Cup on October 18 and second place in the Group 1 NZ Cup on November 11.
But Kingman was among his best when beaten for the first time in six starts when first third to great veteran Bulletproof Boy in last Saturday night’s Bendigo Cup at Melton.
“But I don’t read too much into that,” Dixon said. “They are flesh and blood and it was very hot, he had to travel from Sydney and it was also very smoky.
‘I see Luke left him in Victoria for a week instead of going home, so I’m sure he’ll be back to his best in Shepparton.’
Leap To Fame’s two losses to Kingman led to speculation that the seven-year-old may not be as dominant as before, but three wins and a huge second to Don Hugo in the Blacks A Fake since the NZ Cup have quelled that.
“He’s been so good since he came home, that’s why we changed our mind and decided to try the (Victorian) bonus,” said Dixon.
“He came through the Christmas Cup win (December 13) very well, so we decided to use that last run as a guide for Victoria. He ticked all the boxes.”
Through Adam Hamiltonfor Harness Racing Victoria
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