Leap To Fame Headlines 2023 Aussie High Achievers

Leap To Fame ID23 Final Win. Photo by Dan Costello.

LEAP To Fame’s Brisbane Inter Dominion win made him the highest earning Australian standardbred for 2023.

The winning purse pushed him to $1,275,970 and above mighty mare Encipher, who banked $1,061,230. Ironically, most of her earnings came from running-down Leap To Fame in the inaugural TAB Eureka at Menangle.

Highlighting the emerging young talent, another four-year-old, Catch A Wave was the third highest earner with $868,130, highlighted by his Miracle Mile win.

Despite spending a big chunk of the year in Sweden, Just Believe was the highest earning trotter (on Aussie prize money alone) with $483,300.

Arch-rival and star mare Queen Elida was a clear second with $372,950.
Queenslander Nathan Dawson finished his monstrous 2023 season with 413 wins, a staggering 142 clear of his nearest rival, WA champion Gary Hall Jr (271 wins), with Victorian young gun James Herbertson third on 252 wins.

Tasmania’s Ben Yole, who has also raced a team extensively in Victoria, spaced his rivals on the national table with 412 wins. Emma Stewart was second on 259, with Leap To Fame’s trainer, Grant Dixon, next on 217 wins.

On the breeding side of things, Bettors Delight and Art Major again dominated.

Bettors Delight had 351 individual Australian winners for a total of 963 wins and earnings of $13,733,364.

Art Major’s 342 individual winners combined for 342 wins and $9,792,600 in prize money.

Of note was the performance of Captaintreacherous, who had just 188 starters (compared to Bettors Delight 526 and Art Major 525) for 132 individual winners and 393 wins. They earned a thumping $8,209,684.

Bettors Delight was also the leading broodmare sire with 388 individual winners of 1060 races and $14,015,780 in prize money.

The leading trotting sire was Majestic Son, with 100 individual winners of 240 races.