NZ is high on Leap To Fame’s priority list

As we welcome in the New Year owner Kevin Seymour admits a hunger to chase feature race success in NZ is high on Leap To Fame’s (Bettor’s Delight) priority list in 2025.

As the champion pacer nears a racetrack return, Seymour admits Leap Too Fame’s future stallion career called for Kiwis to see him race in the flesh.

“As his stallion career gets closer, there’s certainly value and importance in winning a big race in NZ so they can see with their own eyes how good he is,” he said.

“There’s a chance, when he does retire, he could even stand at stud in NZ.

“Obviously we really wanted him to go to the NZ Cup in November (2024), but it didn’t work out. We’ll look at the best options to get him across in the new year, once we’ve got him back up and running.”

Leap To Fame could have a three-race Victorian campaign, starting on January 18.

Seymour said plans would be finalised “in the next week or so.”

“We’re looking at a few races in Victoria around the Hunter Cup,” he said. “It’s getting close to decision time. He may go down without a lead-up run, just a trial.

“We’ll have to make the call in the next week or so with the Ballarat Cup ($100,000 on January 18). We need to get some solid racing into him before a race like the Hunter Cup.”

Leap To Fame won last year’s Hunter Cup and stayed in Victoria for the $100,000 Group 2 Cranbourne Cup a week later.

“We would likely do that again,” Seymour said. “It worked well and fits his build-up to the Miracle Mile as well.

“It’s no secret we love taking the horse to the country (tracks) when we can. He got a great reception at Cranbourne last year.”

Leap To Fame won 15 of his 16 starts in 2024, but missed the Victoria and NZ Cups as well as the NSW Inter Dominion series with a niggling lower throat infection.

“We’ve got some lost time and opportunities to make up for,” Seymour said. “But, we also don’t want to plan too far ahead with the issues he’s had over the past couple of months.

“We’re close to deciding how we approach Melbourne and then the Miracle Mile is the next big one.

“Beyond that, we’ll just wait and see, but there are lots of options and it’s great to have the Inter Dominion back here (Brisbane) in July.”

Leap To Fame turns six tomorrow (Wednesday), but Seymour said there wasn’t any set plan when to retire him to stud.

“We’ve always said he’s a racehorse first and while he’s racing and winning like he has been, he’ll keep racing,” Seymour said.

“We’d love him to become the richest pacer of all-time and he could do that if he has as big a year in 2025 as he did this year.”

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand