Leap To Fame to hit Victoria earlier than expected

Champion harness racing pacer Leap To Fame (Bettor’s Delight) is set to come to Victoria earlier than expected.

In a coup for Victorian fans, owner Kevin Seymour said it was “very likely” Leap To Fame would tackle the $50,000 Smoken Up Sprint at Melton on Saturday week ahead of the $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup a week later.

It’s a plan hatched to avoid the disappointment of last year’s Victoria Cup when Seymour and trainer-driver Grant Dixon felt the superstar pacer was “a tad underdone” when a close third as favourite.

Leap To Fame, who boasts 41 wins from just 52 starts and almost $3.2 million, hasn’t raced since winning the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on July 27.

The five-year-old will resume in a free-for-all at Albion Park on Saturday night.

“We’ll make a final decision after he runs (at Albion Park) this week, but we’re strongly leaning towards taking him down a week earlier than planned for the Smoken Up,” Seymour said.

“Grant felt we didn’t quite have him absolutely primed in last year’s Victoria Cup, so we want to make sure he is this time.

“Heading down a week earlier would ensure us a good, strong lead-up race the week before the Victoria Cup.

“And the Victorian officials have strongly promoted him coming. We’d love to support them.”

Leap To Fame’s last trip to Victoria was back in February when he raced twice there for dominant wins in the Group 1 Hunter Cup and Group 2 Cranbourne.

He is a dominant $1.90 favourite to add this Victoria Cup.

Seymour part-owned star US import Mr Feelgood to win the 2010 Victoria Cup, but has been plagued by minor placings since.

Mr Feelgood returned to finish second to Smoken Up in 2011.

He also had Colt Thirty One run second to Bling It On in the 2019 Victoria Cup before Leap To Fame’s third last year.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Victoria