Hotshots shine across the Tasman

By Adam Hamilton

The Aussie big guns flexed their muscles last night.

First out was the great Leap To Fame who posted his 74th win from 94 starts, but with a difference at Albion Park last night.

Wonder mare Captains Mistress returned for her first run since beating Leap To Fame in that epic July 18 Inter Dominion and was barely out of second gear winning a 2300m free-for-all at Menangle.

Just as importantly, last year’s Victoria and NZ Cup winner Kingman grabbed the eye with a strong finishing second, beaten just 4.1m, behind Captains Mistress.

Kingman did have a soft run three back on the pegs but looked sharp late and was clocked to run his own last half in 53.2sec.

It was everything trainer-driver Luke McCarthy would have hoped for at his second run back from a spell.

Whether he can test and/or turn the tables on Captains Mistress in the Victoria Cup in two weeks will surely depend on barrier draws.

Driver Cam Hart gave Captains Mistress as easy a time as possible in front, cruising through a slow 58.6sec first half, and turned the race into a 600m dash home.

Don’t be fooled because trainer Jason Grimson insisted she was right on target for the Victoria Cup.

“She could have gone straight into the Victoria Cup, that’s how forward she is. She didn’t need to do anything special (last night),” he said.

Grimson also hopes his old warhorse Hi Manameisjeff gets a Victoria Cup run after a good third to Captains Mistress last night.

Remember, he did run second to Kingman and beat home Leap To Fame last year.

Back to Leap To Fame and for just the second time in his career, the champion pacer was driven by someone other than Grant Dixon.

Dixon’s wife, Trista, who has been such a huge part of Leap To Fame’s career, took him to the lead early in the race and cruised to victory.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do when the time was right, give Trista the chance to experience driving him in a race and winning,” Grant Dixon said.

Of course, Leap To Fame won’t tackle the Victoria Cup this year.

“The plan is to give him at least another two runs before he’s booked on a flight from Sydney (to Auckland) a week before the NZ Cup,” Dixon said.

“The more racing the better in the lead-up because he’s shown time and time again how much he thrives on it.”

The upset of last night came when Jason Grimson’s two NZ Cup hopefuls Minos and Swayzee were beaten into third and fourth respectively in the Geelong Cup.

Former star juvenile Jilliby Nitro, now a rising 10-year-old, flashed down the outside to win. It was his second Geelong Cup win of the year with the race being brought forward March to an October timeslot.

In their defence, Swayzee and Minos were both first-up.

Jason Grimson drove Swayzee himself and set close to a track record time in front, but his condition just gave out at his first run since May.

Swayzee still finished a close-up fourth, beaten just 1.3m and the 1min55.2sec mile rate was just 0.2sec outside the 2570m track record.

Minos, first-up since the Brisbane Inter Dominion final on July 18, had the trail on Swayzee and looked the winner on the home turn, but couldn’t hold off the swooping Ubetcha Tigerpie and Jilliby Nitro in the last few strides.

Minos will progress to the Victoria Cup, but Grimson will weigh-up whether to go that way with Swayzee.

Another race relevant to Kiwis was star mare Rockinwithattitude’s second in the McNamara Trotters’ Cup at Geelong.

She began well off a 30m back mark but had to sit outside her main danger Imperial Monarch and went down fighting by 2.7m.

Rockinwithattitude will now return to mobile racing for the Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint on October 17 before heading to NZ to race at Kaikoura on November 2.

When you throw in Captains Mistress, there will be a heck of an Aussie female flavour at Kaikoura.