Aussie superstars set for NZ Cup week return

By Adam Hamilton 

The two rock stars of Cambridge's Night of Champions look set to return for New Zealand Cup week.

Leap To Fame and Keayang Zahara both underlined their superstar status with dominating wins in last night's two big slot races, $1m The Race by Sport Nation and the $530,000 TAB Trot.

After months of uncertainty, Leap To Fame’s owner Kevin Seymour essentially guaranteed the champion pacer would race on for a second tilt at the iconic NZ Cup at Addington Raceway in November.

Until last night, he had repeatedly said no decision would be made until after the Brisbane Inter Dominion in July.

“How can we think about retiring him when he’s racing better than ever?” he said.

“Somehow he seems to be getting better with age. That’s the best win of his career so far.

“Seriously, Kay (Seymour, wife) and I have long wanted to win a NZ Cup. We tried with him when he ran second last year, so we’d love to come back again.

“If he wasn’t the GOAT before tonight, then surely he is now.”

Leap To Fame will return home for a freshen-up ahead of chasing a third Inter Dominion at Albion Park in July.

Even his conservative trainer-driver Grant Dixon said Leap To Fame had never gone better than last night’s successful Race by Sport Nation defence.

“He beat a better field that last year, did as much work and won a lot easier. You’d have to say it’s his best,” he said.

“He’s certainly going at least as well as ever. He’s travelling well and thriving on the racing.”

In a major shock, Keayang Zahara’s co-trainer Paddy Lee revealed she will likely bypass the Brisbane Inter Dominion.

It means Addington’s Group 1 double in Cup Week – the Dominion Trot and NZ Trotting Free-For-All – become major targets.

Lee dropped the bombshell Inter Dominion news just moments after Keayang Zahara’s effortless win in last night’s $530,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge.

“I’d say she’ll go to the Sydney race ($100,000 Macarthur Mile on May 2) and then out for a spell,” he said.

“She’s done a terrific job to start the year and there are some great races for her at the end of the year.”

Keayang Zahara stretched her record to 28 wins (and a second) from 29 starts when she cruised to an all-the-win last night.

In other post-race news, Lee revealed Keayang Zahara almost didn’t make the trip.

“We hadn’t been happy with her after Sydney. She’d been tying up,” he said.

“Mum (Marg Lee) wasn’t keen to take her (to NZ), but we bought some time and then used the Terang trial (last week) as the decider.