Harness racing: Leap To Fame ruled out of Victoria Cup with virus

Leap To Fame’s quest to complete harness racing’s “grand slam” in the Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton is over.

Leap To Fame is out of the Group 1 Victoria Cup. Picture: Stuart McCormick

An untimely virus has ruined champion pacer Leap To Fame’s quest to complete harness racing’s “grand slam” in Saturday night’s $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton.

Trainer-driver Grant Dixon said $3.2m earner “didn’t seem himself” early Friday, prompting him to call the vet.

“It’s nothing bad, but the vet said he’s about 80 per cent and we could still probably run him, but we’re never going to take any risk at all with a horse like him,” he said.

“It’s a virus of some sort. You could tell by looking at him, he didn’t quite seem himself.

“It’s huge disappointment after coming all this way (from Brisbane by road), but we’ve been really lucky with illness and injury throughout his career so far. It’s horses for you, I guess.”

Leap To Fame was a dominant $1.20 favourite to become only the second pacer to win Australia’s grand slam – Victoria Cup, Hunter Cup, Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile – following former WA great Preux Chevalier in 1984 & ’85.

The five-year-old has earned comparisons with the all-time greats of harness racing with 43 wins from just 54 starts.

This setback could have huge ramifications beyond the Victoria Cup.

Leap To Fame was $1.60 favourite for the iconic $NZ1m NZ Cup in Christchurch before his Victoria Cup scratching.

Owner Kevin Seymour said that trip was now in serious doubt.

“It’s not looking good, no,” he said.

“We looked at the Victoria Cup as not just an important race itself, but also crucial to his preparation for a tough race like the 3200m of the NZ Cup.

“Now he’s missed this and some work as well, we may not be able to get the right preparation for him.

“It’s just devastating to miss the Victoria Cup after we took the step of taking him down by road when we couldn’t get a suitable flight and now we’re in a tough spot for the NZ trip, too.

“We have never and will never take any risk at all with this horse. He’s a once in a lifetime horse, one Kay (Seymour’s wife) and I have spent 50 years in this game waiting for.

“As disappointing as it is to miss this race, we’ll pull the pin on the NZ trip as well, if that’s what is best for the horse.”

Dixon said the next few days would decide the New Zealand trip.

“It’s not looking good, put it that way,” he said.

“But let’s see how he is over the next two or three days and see what lead-up racing we might be able to get into him in Sydney.”

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

Originally published as Harness racing: Leap To Fame ruled out of Victoria Cup with virus