Leap To Fame set for final jewel in his crown

A Sportsbet Victoria Cup is the final jewel to be added to Leap To Fame’s (Bettor’s Delight) glittering harness racing crown as the pacing megastar lines up in Saturday night’s $300,000 Grand Circuit classic.

The Grant Dixon-trained and driven winner of over three-million-dollars would be only the second harness horse in history behind Preux Chevalier  to claim the “Big Four” after claiming the AG Hunter Cup (2024), Miracle Mile (2023) and the Inter Dominion (2023).

“We would love to win one (Sportsbet Victoria Cup), I think Larry (Leap To Fame) deserves to have it on his resume at the end of the day, he has done so much for us,” Dixon said.

“It’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t get the job done, but I would love to win it.”

The adventure that the five-year-old has taken the Queensland horseman on is one of great joys.

“We often talk about it and pinch ourselves, but at the moment, you try and keep a bit of focus on what’s next for him.”

The star pacer will head into Saturday night’s Grand Circuit event after taking out last week’s Group 3 Smoken Up Sprint, Dixon’s wife, Trista, has taken up training duties as the reinsman headed back to Queensland.

“Trista is really pleased with him, and he got home to run well and held his weight good and we are really happy with him heading into Saturday night,” Grant Dixon said.

“We go off his weight and his feel and we feel like we have got him fit and it is just a matter of keeping him fit and ticking him over for the week and keeping him happy.”

Leap To Fame will be hoping to go one better than his 2023 performance where the then four-year-old finished second, to the Emma Stewart-trained Act Now.

“He was a younger horse (last year) and the race was run at a frantic pace and they were running to try and beat me,” he said.

“We are trying to be mindful to have him harder and fitter this year.”

Dixon and Leap To Fame have drawn three for the 2240m trip.

“Hopefully we can be outside the leader or in front with the draw. The race isn’t structured too bad for us,” Dixon said.

Last year’s Victoria Cup winner Act Now has drawn five with stablemates Mach Dan and Perfect Class drawing one and 10 respectively.

The 2024 edition of the Sportsbet Victoria Cup is set to go at 9.05pm.

The October 12 meeting will be shown on Sky Racing, with a special free-to-air broadcast on Racing.com’s channels 68 and 78.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Lachlan Mitchell, for Harness Racing Victoria