Leap To Fame lands Triple Crown with monstrous Miracle Mile win

Leap To Fame defied all sorts of history to become an all-time harness racing great with a powerhouse win in Saturday night's $1 million Miracle Mile at Menangle.

Despite doing all the work outside the leader in blazing time, the Queensland sensation was simply too good and strong for a vintage Miracle Mile field in one of the toughest performances the iconic race has seen.

Leap To Fame became the first horse to win Australasia's premier speed test from such a wide draw (barrier seven).

And the five-year-old became only the second pacer and the first since the great Preux Chevalier 39 years ago to win Australian harness racing's Triple Crown, the Inter Dominion, Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile.

t moved leviathan owner Kevin Seymour, a notoriously hard marker on horses, to declare Leap To Fame a champion for the first time.

"I've reserved my judgement until now, tonight he proved he's a champion by sitting in the ‘death' (outside the leader) in such quick time and winning," he said.

Leap To Fame's 1min48.3sec mile was the fourth fastest Miracle Mile of all time.

"I can't believe he could sit parked in the death and beat such a great field. I'm just so proud and it goes to show I do believe in miracles.

"It's also my first Miracle Mile win after more than 50 years in the game. It's the one big race to escape me and now we've got it and he's done it by completing the Triple Crown, which is the icing on the cake."

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon was as proud as excited after the win.

"I'm so rapt for the horse, he really deserved that. That other horse (Sooner The Bettor) had a much softer run and really came at him, but he put his down and wanted to get to the line.

"This horse has given me the best part of my career and Trista (Dixon, wife) is the best part of my life, so to have her and the kids here is just so special."

The race changed complexion soon after the start when co-favourite Hi Manameisjeff galloped while hunting for the lead, which meant Leap To Fame was able to get outside the leader, Speak The Truth, easier than expected.

Leap To Fame had Speak The Truth covered at the top of the home straight when Sooner The Better charged at him with a huge challenge, but he fended him off to win by 2.5m with another 3.5m away to Speak The Truth in third.

Leap To Fame's win took his record to an amazing 45 starts for 35 wins, six seconds, two thirds and earnings of $2,765,957.

Much more to come in Leap To Fame's record breaking reign

LEAP To Fame has already rewritten the record books and there is lots more to come.

No horse has put together the string of major wins Leap To Fame has in the past eight months and he still seemingly has three of the sport's biggest races at his mercy in the back half of 2024.

The five-year-old's next major target is a trip to Melbourne for the $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup – widely regarded as the Cox Plate of harness racing – at Melton on October 12.

"He'll have a quiet week or two, but then it's time to wind him right up again," trainer-driver Grant Dixon said.

"He was beaten in last year's Victoria Cup (a close third) but it's because it was my fault. I didn't have the preparation behind him you need for a big race like that. He'd have kept going if I did.

"I won't make the same mistake. He'll be back racing in mid-September so we can have him screwed right down for the Victoria Cup."

Then comes something new, Leap To Fame's first trip outside of Australia for one of the world's most iconic harness events, the $NZ1 million New Zealand Cup at Addington in Christchurch on November 12.

It's been so hard for Australians to win. Just two Aussie-trained pacers since 1987 have crossed the ditch and won, Arden Rooney in 2015 and Swayzee last year.

"We're keen to go," Dixon said. "If he's well at the time and we can sort the right travel to-and-from NZ, then it would be fantastic to run him in it.

"I think it's the pinnacle of harness racing in this part of the world. I've never actually been to (NZ) Cup Day, let alone taken a horse, but like so many others, I've watched and heard what an incredible raceday it is. It looks amazing."

Just 17 days after the NZ Cup, Leap To Fame will be back in Australia to start his defence of the Inter Dominion crown he won at Albion Park last December. The first of three rounds of Inter Dominion qualifying heats are at Newcastle on November 29.

His last race for 2024 will be the $500,000 Inter Dominion final at Menangle on December 14.

Leap To Fame's phenomenal past 12 months have justifiably sparked comparisons with Australasia's all-time greatest pacers like Popular Alm, Preux Chevalier in the 1980s and, more recently Blacks A Fake in the 2000s and Lazarus at his peak in 2017/18.

On performance alone, Leap To Fame has outdone them all.

He is the only pacer to be the titleholder of the Inter Dominion, Miracle Mile, Hunter Cup and Blacks A Fake at the same time.

Blacks A Fake held three of the titles, as did Preux Chevalier and Popular Alm.

And Leap To Fame's winning strike rate trumps them all. He's won 41 of 52 starts at 82.4 per cent, compared to: Popular Alm (49 of 62 at 79 per cent); Preux Chevalier (40 of 53 at 75.5 per cent); Lazarus (37 of 51 at 72.5 per cent) and Blacks A Fake (72 of 105 at 68.6 per cent).

Dixon agreed Leap To Fame's win in last Saturday night's Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park was his best yet.

"He's getting better as in becoming a better racehorse. That's where he's improved with a year of racing in the best races," he said.

"He was pretty amazing the other night and still felt strong on the line, He wasn't all-out.

"When you combine that with how well he comes through his races, he's right at the peak of his powers now."

* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

LEAP TO FAME … THE STORY SO FAR

CAREER

52 starts; 41 wins; 9 placings

Prize money: $3,194,685

THIS YEAR

13 starts; 12 wins; 1 second

Prize money: $1,397,303

· Major wins:

– Gp1 Hunter Cup (Feb 3)

– Gp1 Miracle Mile (Mar 9)

– Gp1 Blacks A Fake (Jul 27)

STILL TO COME THIS YEAR

· $300,000 Gp1 Victoria Cup (Oct 12, Melton)

· $NZ 1million NZ Cup (Nov 12, Christchurch)

· $500,000 Inter Dominion final (Dec 14, Menangle)

We’ve killed Goliath’: Leap To Fame rolled by Bulletproof Boy in Smoken Up Sprint at Melton

Not since Courage Under Fire’s 24-race winning streak came to an end at Moonee Valley on January 22, 2000 have Victorian fans witnessed such a shock upset.

I’m grasping at straws a bit, but he didn’t travel as well as I expected in the run and I knew on the home bend we had a fight on our hands,” he said.

“The Albion Park track is so hard at the moment, while the Melton track has a beautiful cushioning, but maybe it felt different to him?

“Could it have been travelling closer to the race than we have before, only getting in on the Friday morning?

“I really don’t know, but there’s no panic stations here. I’m just glad I ran him instead of going straight into the Victoria Cup.”

Despite the defeat, Leap To Fame only eased from $1.20 to $1.30 for the Victoria Cup.

Huge credit goes to Bulletproof Boy’s trainer Scott Ewen for causing such an upset, especially with his veteran first-up since June.

“I think that happened?” driver James Herbertson said. “He’s a competitive beast, this old guy. He’s the fastest horse I’ve driven for point-to-point speed and he showed it tonight. We’ve killed Goliath.”