Leap To Fame’s Smoken Up Sprint bid is up in the air … literally

Flight availability will determine if Leap To Fame is able to have his preferred Victoria Cup lead-up run in Saturday’s Smoken Up Sprint at Melton.

Champion pacer Leap To Fame. Picture: Dan Costello

Champion pacer Leap To Fame is again hitting the road to chase his 11th Group 1 win in Saturday week’s $300,000 Victoria Cup at Melton.

But just when the five-year-old heads south depends on when trainer-driver Grant Dixon can get him on a plane.

Ideally, Leap To Fame will be flown down this week so he can have another lead-up race in Saturday night’s $50,000 Smoken Up Sprint at Melton.

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“That’s the plan, but we might not be able to get a flight,” Dixon said. “I’m hoping to know tomorrow (Monday) if there’s a flight this week or we have to until next week.”

If Dixon can’t get his stable star to Melbourne this week, he may not get another lead-up race because rivals don’t want to run against him in Brisbane.

The five-year-old showed he was right on target when he returned from a spell with a scintillating Albion Park win last night against just five rivals.

He's back and he hasn't missed a beat.

LEAP TO FAME returns victorious tonight at @TheCreekAlbion as he heads towards southern and international features this spring and his path towards solidifying himself as the 🐐 in harness racing.#QLDisRacingpic.twitter.com/MELWSb8qNN

— RaceQ (@RaceQLD) September 28, 2024

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It was his first run since winning the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on July 27.

Despite the lack of racing, driving rain and doing all the work outside the leader, Leap To Fame thrashed his rivals by 11.7m in a scorching 1min51.2sec mile rate – just 0.2sec outside his own track record.

Leap To Fame, already a winner of the Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile and Blacks A Fake this year, will face his biggest test yet in what shapes as a very strong Victoria Cup.

His rivals will be headed by Swayzee, Catch A Wave, Better Eclipse, Major Moth and District Attorney.

He’s also chasing redemption after finishing third as a hot favourite in the race last year.

Grant (left) and Trista Dixon are hoping to get Leap To Fame onto a Melbourne-bound flight this week. Picture: Dan Costello

• Leap To Fame hunts the few majors he has left to win

Beyond the Victoria Cup, Dixon confirmed Leap To Fame’s flights were booked for his first trip to New Zealand.

He is a raging hot $1.70 favourite to win the $NZ1mil NZ Cup at Addington in Christchurch on November 12.

Leap To Fame will be trying to become just the third Australian-trained pacer to win the iconic race since My Lightning Blue in 1987. The others have been Arden Rooney (2015) and Swayzee (last year).

“He’s booked on a flight on November 3 to Auckland,” Dixon said.

Leap To Fame will headline the strongest ever Aussie assault on the NZ Cup with Better Eclipse, Major Moth, District Attorney and possibly Nerano heading across, too.

• Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

Originally published as Leap To Fame’s Smoken Up Sprint bid is up in the air … literally