In front of a large crowd witnessing one of the best Hunter Cup fields the barrier draw proved to be the key factor with Swayzee taking advantage of his barrier 2 with Leap To Fame on his outside and Kingman on the second line.
The New Zealand Republican Party held onto the early lead and made Swayzee work for a while before driver Cameron Hart could cross and take the lead.
SWAYZEE FEB 14 REPEAT
The Republican Party rallied behind the leader. Leap To Fame was caught three wide early before settling outside Swayzee and that’s exactly where Cameron Hart wanted his biggest danger.
Meanwhile, Kingman was seriously disturbed shortly after the start and was relegated to a clear final.
Swayzee took the lead and Hart kept the pace high.
Leap To Fame started to close in on the straight, but it was Kingman who kept up a long sprint down the straight despite the lost ground he faced early in the race.
Swayzee was overshadowed by Leap To Fame in straightening, but showed his usual determination and hung in there. The Republican Party was given an inside run to mount a challenge, but all honors were retained to win by a neck. The Republican Party ran another brave race, while Leap To Fame lost no admirers. The race was an exact replica of last year’s Hunter Cup with the same three placings.
Swayzee’s victory thwarted Leap To Fame’s bid to earn the $1 million bonus and it now appears this will have been his final Victorian run as he will now head north to New South Wales for the Miracle Mile.
Grant Dixon should be commended for bringing Leap to Fame to Victoria and giving the nation’s supporters a rare opportunity to see him during these five demanding weeks.
Luke McCarthy was clearly disappointed after Kingman encountered so many problems that cost him the chance of winning the Hunter Cup. However, he indicated that Kingman suffered no damage and will certainly return to New South Wales with the big events in mind. Considering Kingman’s interference and the subsequent grounds he concocted, his effort was little short of astonishing.
There was a delay in declaring everything safe as Republican Party connections wanted confirmation that they had indeed been placed in third place, which was ultimately explained by the stewards keeping Leap To Fame in second place.
Winning driver Cameron Hart expressed his joy after his victory.
I feel incredible. I feel privileged to be in this position to ride such a good horse. He’s been so good to Jason (Grimson) I and Mick (Boots) and all the connections. He never abandons us. I felt good. Once Grant got outside of me in the 400m I could tell he was nibbling on him. I knew there wasn’t much left in the tank. When he could only hit me at the top of the track, I knew this guy was going to backpedal. It’s never easy to sit back and beat Leap To Fame. This guy has the same kind of qualities as him. We were lucky that we were strong on the line.
It was a great feeling, the atmosphere here at Melton is great and it’s just a privilege to take part in a race like this with such great horses. To be able to collaborate with Swayzee is a dream come true. He has been such a great horse for us and his will to win shows again and again.
By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink
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