A surprise change of plans for Leap To Fame

The Grant Dixon-trained superstar will miss some of Australia’s top three and four-year-old races to focus longer term on the world’s richest race, the $2.1 million TAB Eureka.

It is a seismic change given the three-year-old looked to have races like the Breeders Crown in Victoria and next February’s Chariots Of Fire at his mercy.

Leap To Fame became the first horse since Captain Joy to win Australia’s big three Derbys – NSW, Queensland and Victoria – when he smashed the clock and broke the hearts of his rivals at Melton last Saturday night.

Owner Kevin Seymour said Leap To Fame would only race once more this year. This was outlined in Harnesslink’s story ‘Leap to stardom‘.

“We’re going to put him away after one more run and look after him,” owner Kevin Seymour said. “He’s taken us on a wonderful ride this season and now we look to the future.

“He’s got the NSW Breeders Challenge final in two weeks and then he’s out for a break. He won’t be going back down to Victoria for the Breeders Crown.

“Grant (Dixon) wants to give him a long break so he won’t be back for the Chariots Of Fire, either.

“The plan next year is to have him primed for the Queensland Winter Carnival and a few big races then, like the Rising Sun, and then aim at the Eureka.

“Everything revolves around the Eureka now with its prize money.”

Leap To Fame is a standout top seed for the inaugural Eureka at Menangle on September 2, next year because he will be a four-year-old and the race is restricted to Australian-bred three and four-year-old pacers only.

Significantly, Seymour and his wife Kay, own one of the 10 slots in the Eureka and will surely take Leap To Fame as their slot runner if he primed closer to the race.

“Even though he’s a valuable colt, we want to race him on the Grand Circuit so he’ll be around for another two or three years,” Seymour said.

“That’s why Grant wants to look after him now and be really specific on what races we target so we don’t over race him.”

Seymour, one of Australia’s biggest and most influential owners for 40 years, said Leap To Fame had already achieved something he had long dreamed about.

“We’ve had some nice horses, but I’ve always wanted one who could win us the three big eastern states Derbys and he’s done that,” he said.

“Mr Feelgood is still the best horse I’ve been associated with, but who knows, maybe in time this guy will make me change my mind.

“I’ve never won a Miracle Mile so that’s a race we’d like to target with him, but when he’s five, not next year.”

by Adam Hamilton, for News Corp