Leap To Fame Set to Dominate Rising Sun

BUDDING superstar Leap To Fame’s surge towards becoming Australia’s best pacer should continue at Albion Park on Saturday night.

The freakish four-year-old drew horribly in gate seven (outside the front row), but such is his dominance he actually firmed from $1.40 into $1.30 in the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun (2138m) at Albion Park.

Leap To Fame is chasing his 21st win from just 27 starts. He’s been placed another five times and banked $576,782.

His notoriously conservative trainer-driver Grant Dixon has openly declared Leap To Fame the best pacer he’s trained in a 35-year career, but conceded the draw presented a challenge on Saturday night.

“It won’t be easy from out there, it never is at Albion Park,” he said. “But this has been his target for a long time. He’s rock hard fit and will take a lot of beating.”

The buzz around Leap To Fame went to the next level when he produced an astonishing performance to come from last around the tight and quirky Redcliffe track to brilliantly win the Patrons Purse on June 16.

He smashed the clock, taking almost 2.5sec off the track record.

“We considered running him last week with three weeks between races, but opted to give him a really strong workout at home instead,” Dixon said.

“He’s exactly where we want him and it’s another good test.”

Dixon, a long-time premier trainer in Queensland, has three runners in the Rising Sun. Tims A Trooper (gate four) and first emergency Racy Roxy (eight) are the others.

“Tims A Trooper is racing as well as ever. He was very unlucky last start and although he’s always played second fiddle to Leap To Fame, he’ll get his chance from the good draw,” Dixon said.

Team McCarthy also has three Rising Sun runners with former Kiwi pacer Cantfindabettorman (gate five) the best of them. They also have the only two three-year-olds in the field, Don Hugo (gate one) and Rocknroll Hammer (two).

Like Leap To Fame, Jarrod Alchin’s young star My Ultimate Ronnie (gate

three) will head to the world’s richest harness race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka, via Saturday night’s Rising Sun.

My Ultimate Ronnie, to be driven by young gun Cam Hart, is $6.50 equal second favourite with Cantfindabettorman.

Victorian raiders dominate betting in the other Group 1 on Saturday night, the inaugural $150,000 Great Square for three and four-year-old trotters.

Chris Svanosio’s Arcee Phoenix (gate six) is unbeaten in four runs this campaign and has been $2.80 into $2.40, while Chris Lang’s Courage Stride (gate 11, $3.50) and David Miles’ Rocknwithattitude (two, $5) are the main rivals.

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