Captains Mistress crowned ID champion on huge night at Albion Park

By Adam Hamilton 

It was a race for the ages.

And the young princess dethroned the “King” when former Kiwi mare Captains Mistress upstaged defending champion Leap To Fame in last night’s $1 million Inter Dominion pacing final.

It wasn’t just one of the great Inter Dominion finals, but one of the great races of all time.

Billed as a match-race, it delivered in spades.

A packed Albion Park crowd stood to their feet when the pair drew away from the field at the 600m mark with Captains Mistress in front and Leap To Fame, who had already been under pressure for a lap, clawing back the margin.

Just when it seemed Leap To Fame was catching the mare, she kept finding more for driver Cam Hart and fought him off to win by 1.2m in a record-smashing 1min51.8sec mile rate for the long 2680m. It took a full second off the track record.

Captains Mistress became the first mare to win the Inter Dominion pacing since Jodie’s Babe in 1989 and just the fifth in the 96-year history of the race. She is just the second four-year-old mare to win.

Her proud owner Mick Boots summed up the race superbly.

“Have you seen a better race?” he said. “I don’t care what anyone says, Leap To Fame is a champion and what he did tonight was incredible. He just kept coming and coming.

“I couldn’t believe it when she kept finding when came at her. She’s a champion, too.”

Leap To Fame’s trainer-driver Grant Dixon said: “Look, he went great. You just couldn’t ask any more of him.”

In a fitting show of respect, the huge crowd applauded Leap To Fame back to the stables even in defeat.

The records kept tumbling with Captains Mistress’ win making Jason Grimson the youngest trainer at 32 to win three pacing finals. He also won with Boncel Benjamin (2021) and I Cast No Shadow (2022).

Boots said he may have to reconsider his earlier plan to retire Captains Mistress to the breeding barn at the end of this year.

Grimson is just the third trainer, joining Hall of Famers Brian Hancock and Mark Purdon, to win pacing finals with three different horses.

“It’s a pretty good feeling when you hear that history,” he said. “She’s a freak this mare. She can do things others can’t.”

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Brilliant trotter Gus booked a trip back to another NZ Cup Week with his historic $500,000 Group 1 Inter Dominion final win last year.

Trained by Chantal Turpin and driven by her husband, Pete McMullen, Gus became the first Queensland-trained trotter to win the Inter Dominion trotting final at the 50th running of the race.

“He’s become a bit of a history-maker with what he did at Addington last November, too,” McMullen said.

That was his Group 1 double in the Dominion Trot and NZ Trotting free-for-all.

“We’ll enjoy this and take him back to NZ again,” McMullen said.

Turpin said: “The ability has always been there, but just needed to crack him.” 

“I just love this horse, he means the world to me.”

McMullen added: “Chantal’s said she loves him more than me, but I guess he needs a driver.

“Seriously though, I’m so proud of Chantal and the team. He’s taken a lot of time, hard work and patience and rewarded us.

“Growing up, you dream of winning an Inter Dominion, I just didn’t think it would be on a trotter.

“He’s a bit of history maker this guy, winning that big Group 1 double in NZ late last year, too.”

Gus held on to beat the find of the series, Gotfeelingsyouknow, with another outsider Toro Stride finishing third.

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There is a strong Kiwi connection to the third successive Group 1 Golden Girl win of champion mare Eye Keep Smiling.

She is already a mother and her only foal, by Bettors Delight, is in NZ with trainers Cran and Chrissie Dalgety.

A failed attempt to get her in foal again late last year, presented trainer-driver Luke McCarthy with a big challenge to prime her again.

“It’s only the past three weeks I thought I’d got her back again. She’s amazing.

It was Eye Keep Smiling’s 30th win, her fourth at Group 1 level and edged her close to the million at $958,088.

“This is so special. It’s so rewarding when you work so closely with these top horses,” McCarthy said.

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Trainer Shannon Price is seriously considering an extended Kiwi raid later this year with her outstanding four-year-old Final Deadline.

The Kiwi-bred narrowly but impressed beat a gallant favourite Fate Awaits in a stirring Group 3 4YO Championship at Albion Park last night in a sizzling 1min52.2sec mile rate for 2138m.

The was won last year by The Janitor, who has gone on to finish second in a Miracle Mile and third in a Blacks A Fake.

“He loves the stand (start) as he showed winning the Redcliffe Cup three starts back, so NZ is a good option,” she said.

“If we went, we’d go for the Cup, the free-for-all and the big four-year-old race (Christian Cullen).

“He’s just kept improving since we got him across from NZ and he’s potentially the best horse I’ve had.”

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Owner Mick Harvey declared Ripples the best three-year-old filly in Australian after she outstayed her rivals in an action-packed Group 1 Queensland Oaks.

Ripples, who spent time in NZ earlier this year and late last year, enjoyed the break-neck tempo set up front by favourites Ark Sea and Sparkling Sea and stormed home late to win in a scorching 1min52.8sec mile rate for 2138m, taking two seconds off the race record.

It continued Luke McCarthy’s amazing record in the race with his eighth driving success. He caused an upset last year on Soho Americano, beating Captains Mistress.

“When they went so hard, it brought us into it,” McCarthy said. “She really deserved that one after big runs at Bathurst then in the NSW Oaks.”

It also showed some McCarthy training brilliance after Ripples opened her Queensland campaign with a worrying eighth in the Redcliffe Oaks.

Riverina filly Seaside Boulevard ran second for trainer-driver Jackson Painting, while Ark Sea did a massive job to finish third after being a key part of the blistering early and mid-race tempo.

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Racing can be cruel and kind.

Top NSW trainer-driver Brad Hewitt experienced both this week, starting with a major injury to arguably the best horse he has trained, Hollywood Strip.

The NSW Derby winner was $1.50 to add the Queensland Derby to his CV, but fractured a pastern midweek.

Remarkably, Hewitt still won the Derby last night with his second-stringer, Palladium.

“We’re still a bit deflated, but you have to dust yourself off as this showed,” he said. “He’s been going super and I thought he could win, just not having that sort of run (outside the leader).”

Hollywood Strip, who boasts 13 wins from 15 starts, will be he sidelined for at rest of this year after having screws inserted in the pastern.

Palladium, formerly trained in NZ by Nathan Williamson, dug deep to beat Yottie, who followed him everywhere and had his chance, with leader Maxo Mighty holding on bravely for third.