Queensland Harness Racing Wrap – July 10

Catch up on the week’s harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.

THE GOOD

If Leap To Fame had any doubters, his victory in the third edition of The Rising Sun, must surely have ended any speculation of just how good the four-year-old is.

For those on track at Albion Park on Saturday night, they witnessed something special, and the grandstand, bars and stables were abuzz with excitement and thrill at what they had witnessed.

On social media, the commentary was equally fizzing, with unbridled intoxicating praise.

Many fence sitters are now firmly believing that the entire is now the best pacer in the country, if not the world.

The race began with Rocknroll Hammer first to find the marker line before handing that role over to My Ultimate Ronnie.

Grant Dixon eased Leap To Fame from the start and with one mile left to travel, he was last in a three-wide train headed by Cantfindabettorman with Speak To Truth in between the pair.

Luke McCarthy continued to edge forward to find the running line, in turn he released to Speak The Truth while Dixon then clicked up Leap To Fame and by the winning post with a lap to travel had pressed on to the front.

Despite a steady lead time of 37.8 seconds, and then a first quarter of 29.9 seconds, the middle half was run in a sizzling 54.4 seconds, but Dixon was not about to ease up.

Turning for home, Leap To Fame was under a vice like grip from Dixon, yet still finished them off with a 26.8 second closing quarter to stop the clock in a track record equalling 1.52.0 rate for the 2138 metre journey.

In a unique achievement, Leap To Fame (Bettors Delight) equalled the 1.52 rate set by Swayzee (Rock N Roll Heaven) less than three weeks ago – the pacers are half-brothers being out of the mare Lettucereason.

Securing his biggest pay cheque to date in the $355,000 Group 1, Leap To Fame claimed the 21st victory of his career from just 27 starts and remains undefeated this season.

Following the race, trainer and driver Grant Dixon echoed what had just been witnessed with the ease of Leap To Fame’s victory.

“The most exciting and even surprising part was how easily he did it. He still felt very strong on the line,” Dixon said.

With the privilege of calling Leap To Fame to victory in Saturday night’s race, Chris Barsby said it best.

“Have a look at him go, Leap To Fame, Are you not entertained?” Barsby said.

STAR GAZING

Leap To Fame stole the show at Albion Park on Saturday night, but the win by London To A Brick in the inaugural running of The Great Square was impressive in its own right.

The James Rattray-trained gelding scored the biggest victory of his career in the Group 1 event with the $87,580 for first prize sweetened with an extra $25,000 bonus that was on offer to any winner should they be a three-year-old.

Not only did London To A Brick claim the winning prize money and bonus, but the three-year-old also established a new track record with his 1.56.4 winning rate for the 2138 metre trip, an amazing effort for a juvenile trotter to own an all-age track record.

The previous record had stood at 1.56.7, held by the multiple Group 1-winning trotter Tough Monarch, set in the 2021 Group 1 Queensland Trotters Cup, with the Rattray trained gelding likely to now head to the Queensland Trotters Derby in two weeks.

From The Creek on Saturday night, Jewel Melody enhanced her Queensland Oaks claims by taking the South East Oaks, while the Nathan Turnbull-trained and driven On Deadline made it an all-Bathurst sweep of the three-year-old features, with a narrow win in the South East Derby.

Uptown Beachgirl will head to the Group 1 Golden Girl as a last start winner, the mare leading throughout to defeat an eye-catching Braeview Kelly.

Swayzee remained undefeated for Jason Grimson with a victory in the Group 3 Mr Feelgood, the half-brother of Leap To Fame scoring his fifth successive victory since joining the all-powerful Grimson juggernaut.

Free Thinker claimed The Rising Sun Consolation to end his preparations for the inaugural The Hayden this coming Saturday night with a narrow victory over Soho Rhapsody.

Unplaced in the race, but also heading to The Hayden in search of the golden ticket to The Eureka are Hold Onto Ya Bling, Bangkok Deejay, Awaywego and Alwaysbme.

At Bendigo, Queensland Derby-bound The Lost Storm returned in fine style for his first appearance this season, scoring an effortless victory that was little more than a training work out.

South Coast Arden claimed another Menangle win to continue his excellent form since joining the Paul Fitzpatrick barn with a potential start in the Blacks A Fake a slim possibility.

THE WILDCARD

Joining the Constellations Carnival in 2022 for the first time, on Sunday the Marburg Pacing Association held the second edition of the Western Star.

With a late boost to the prize money during the week, the 2023 edition was conducted for $22,000, the total stakes only exceeded by their flagship event, the Goldstrike.

The race changed complexion after the scratching deadline when Madrigal, who had gained a start in the previous night in South East Oaks as the emergency, was taken out to allow Betting Origin to take his place in the field.

From gate two, that saw the Trent Dawson-trained four-year-old start favourite for the event, with the Chantal Turpin-trained Always Smokin on the second line of the market, while the Ben Battle-trained Into The Mystic was the only other runner to start under double figures.

As the mobile pulled away it was Maywyn Troubador that sped across to lead, leaving Betting Origin to sit parked while Pete McMullen was locked away three back on the poles with Always Smokin.

Racing in that formation for the next two laps, as the field approached the 400 metre marker, Maywyn Troubador had run his race and Betting Origin worked to the front.

Always Smokin had worked off the inside but was standing the leader a 15 metre break off the back turn, but the three-year-old charged hard to arrive right on the wire.

The winning rate for the 2200 metre journey established a new three-year-old class record and also equalled the track record of 1.58.8 previously held by Dollarbill.

That was the second track record for the day, following the slashing win of the trotter Madeakillin in the opening race of the day.

A newcomer to the Graham Dwyer stable, the seven-year-old had trialled impressively in readiness for his first Queensland appearance.

Starting from a 40 meter handicap over the 2200 metre journey, driver Brendan Barnes had the gelding away smartly and kept the momentum to work around the field and with 1600 metres to travel had found the front.

Keeping the power on, the last three quarters of the mile were run in 28.8, 29.2 and home in 29.5 seconds to stop the clock in a winning rate of 2.01.4, slashing 2.1 seconds off the previous record held by Rocket Nova.

THE MILESTONE

It was a mammoth week for the country’s leading driver Nathan Dawson as he surpassed yet another milestone.

Snaring four winners at the Sunday night Redcliffe meeting on July 2, Dawson did not grab a winner at the Tuesday meeting from Albion Park.

The rare miss must have lit a fuse, as the premiership leader then secured multiple wins at each of the next four meetings for the week.

At Redcliffe’s Wednesday night meeting, it was a double courtesy of the Peter Greig-trained Pago Pago and the Shawn Grimsey-trained Isla And Addie.

With Albion Park hosting the Thursday afternoon fixture, Dawson made the meeting his own, claiming five winners on the card.

Opening the day with victory aboard the Charlie Cini-trained Bronski Zulu in a heat of the APG Brisbane Sales Graduate Series, his next win would come in race five with the Ben Battle-trained Grove Dale.

By race six the treble was complete thanks to s sharp closing sprint on the Ben Crosby-trained Frankie Ferocious and after race eight, Dawson had won three legs of the quaddie with another winner for Shawn Grimsey on Dark Terror.

The fifth winner came up in race nine, completing the quintet for five different trainers with victory aboard the Graham Dwyer-trained Our Action Man.

Such has been the domination by Dawson this season, which was the third time this season that he has won five races at a meeting and in itself set a new benchmark.

No other Queensland driver has claimed five winners at a meeting three times in a season, with those to have achieved the feat twice in a season being the late Bill Dixon, Grant Dixon (twice), Pete McMullen and Lola Weidemann.

Back at it at Redcliffe on Friday, it was another winning treble for Dawson, ending his day on 199 wins for the season.

Win 200 was not far away, the milestone reached with feature race success when leading throughout aboard the Donny Smith-trained Uptown Beachgirl to claim the Group 3 Fleur De Lil Ladyship Stakes, the Albion Park mare’s track record holder holding off the Jack Trainor-prepared Braeview Kelly.

Dawson took driving honours for the night as the only driver to snare a double when he partnered with The Hayden-bound, Captain Shuffles in another all the way performance.

Reaching 200 winners in a season for the fourth term in succession and fifth in his career, Dawson has a winning strike rate of 19 percent this season, with his lead in the national premiership sitting at 72 wins over Gary Hall Jr, with his state lead over Pete McMullen at 75 wins.

THIS WEEK

Five meetings will be held this week, with a pair from Redcliffe and three from Queensland headquarters, Albion Park.

The week begins with a big 11 race card from The Creek, before heading to Redcliffe on Wednesday night for 10 races and then an afternoon meeting on Thursday.

After a Friday afternoon meeting from The Creek, the week reaches the crescendo on Saturday for Garrards Sunshine Sprint night.

The Sunshine Sprint receives a prize money boost this year, with $200,000 in total stakes on offer and the race was made even more exciting when Leap To Fame appeared in the nominations on Monday morning.

Complementing the card will be the inaugural running of The Hayden slot race, with the winner to gain the Racing Queensland slot in The Eureka.

Other features on the night include the Group 1 The Golden Girl, the J C McMullen, the Group 3 Trotters Sprint, the Queensland Trotters Oaks and the APG Brisbane Sale Graduates Final.