Leap To Fame wins and Swayzee beaten across the Tasman

[Wandering Eyes]

By Adam Hamilton 

The Aussie raid on New Zealand Cup Week is looking more imposing by the day.

Four confirmed raiders and possibly even a fifth, headed by champion Leap To Fame, impressively won lead-up races last night (Saturday).

Having his first start since snaring his second Inter Dominion title on July 19, Leap To Fame cruised to victory over stablemates Aroda and Free Thinker in a 2138m free-for-all at Albion Park.

The six-year-old was nursed to the line by trainer-driver Grant Dixon to win by 6.5m in a 1min53.9sec mile rate and ripped home in 54.7 and 26.3sec.

Leap To Fame now heads straight into Saturday week’s $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup, the only historic Aussie major race to have so far escaped him.

His stranglehold on Victoria Cup favouritism tightened even further when arch-rival and sibling Swayzee suffered a shock defeat at Menangle last night.

Swayzee, who eased from $1.10 to $1.65, worked to the front, but was stalked by the emerging four-year-old Kingman, who easily ran him down late.

It’s Swayzee’s second defeat in as many runs this campaign and raises doubts whether the mighty stayer and winner of the past two NZ Cups has come back as well as a rising eight-year-old.

Much interest will now focus on whether he heads to Saturday week’s Victoria Cup, a race he won so brilliantly in Leap To Fame’s absence last year.

The exciting Kingman is definitely Victoria Cup-bound.

“Absolutely. He’s the new kid on the block,” owner Mick Harvey said. “We’re up for all the big races now. We think the world of him.”

At Melton, the NZ-bound pair Tracy The Jet and Gatesys Gem – both with slots in The Ascent – won well.

It was Gatesys Gem’s first run back from a spell, while Tracy The Jet made it five wins on end with an effortless display in the Group 1 Need For Speed Princess final.

They are headed for a clash in the Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Oaks on Saturday week.

“We’re still in need of racing compared to Tracy The Jet, so I might back my mare up again next week,” Gatesys Gem’s trainer Glenn Hunter said.

The “NZ watch” is growing on brilliant young Victorian trotting mare Jilliby Ballerini, too.

She won her ninth race from just 11 starts this season and claimed some big names in the process in the Group 3 Australasian Trotting Championship.

Having her first start from a stand, Jilliby Ballerini began well and worked around to take the lead early.

Inter Dominion and TAB Trot winner Arcee Phoenix came around off his 20m handicap to sit parked, but Jilliby Ballerini left him standing on the home bend.

She roared away to win by 20.7m in unheard of times for a trotter. The closing splits were 54.4 and 26.7sec.

Arcee Phoenix battled away into fourth spot.

“There’s a chance she (Jilliby Ballerini) could go to NZ. It’s likely we’ll take one, but Keayang Zahara is back at the races next week, too,” driver Jason Lee said.

Also at Melton, eight-time Group 1 winner Catch A Wave returned to his best form in time for the Victoria Cup with a dominant front-running win in the $30,000 Casey Classic.

He ran a brisk 1min53.9sec mile rate for the 2240m and dazzled home in 54.2 and 27.3sec.

At Menangle, the underrated trotter Parisian Artiste showed he was on target for NZ with a dazzling 1min54.3sec mile win at his second run back from a spell.

 

 

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