Stars tune up for New Zealand raids this weekend

THREE of Australia’s biggest harness racing stars will tune-up for New Zealand raids on Saturday night.

Queensland champion Leap To Fame (Bettor’s Delight), recent Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo (Art Major) and Inter Dominion trotting winner The Locomotive (Muscle Mass) will all have their final lead-up races.

Leap To Fame and Don Hugo will shoulder Australia’s hopes – and are the two favourites – for the $NZ1mil Race by betcha at Cambridge in NZ’s North Island on April 4.

On the same night, The Locomotive looks Australia’s top hope in the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot, a race where Aussie raiders filled the first four placings last year.

After two aborted NZ trips last year, Leap To Fame will finally cross the ditch for the first time.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon took the six-year-old back from Sydney to his Tambourine base outside Brisbane after his brave second to Don Hugo in last Saturday week’s Miracle Mile at Menangle.

“The run took a bit out of him. I don’t know whether it was the combination of the travel and sitting parked (outside the leader) in a 1min48sec mile, but he lost a bit of weight and knew he’d had a run.

“That’s why we wanted to get him back home where he thrives, rather than go to NZ early as we had talked about.

“He seems great again now and this race suits really well. We didn’t want to go a month between races.”

Leap To Fame will start from the outside (gate six) in the 1660m free-for-all, but looks classes above his five Albion Park rivals.

Don Hugo’s trainer-driver Luke McCarthy can’t wait to clash with Leap To Fame again after squaring their ledger 1-1 with the Miracle Mile win.

In contrast to Leap To Fame, McCarthy said Don Hugo “bounced” out of the Miracle Mile.

“He’s unreal. He’s pulled up better than ever. He’s really in the zone and continually getting better,” he said.

“Leap To Fame’s a great horse, but we’ve shown we can beat him now and you always look forward to racing the best.”

If Don Hugo comes through Cambridge well, plans are for him to then go to Perth, via Melbourne, for the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 25.

Don Hugo will start from the outside (gate 10), but face largely second-tier rivals over a mile at Menangle.

The Locomotive will be looking to regain winning form after being beaten at his past three starts, albeit all good performances.

Brad Hewitt’s stable star will be hot favourite despite the outside draw (gate eight) at Menangle.

His main danger will be the talented but enigmatic London To A Brick, who beat The Locomotive home when second to Keayang Chucky in the Group 1 Hammerhead Trotters’ Mile at Menangle last Saturday week.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia