Kevin Seymour’s pacer Leap To Fame had been laid low by a virus, dashing `Grand Slam’ plans

Richlister Kevin Seymour still reckons his boom pacer Leap To Fame will etch his name in the record books despite missing a crucial race with a virus.

Kevin Seymour and champion pace Leap To Fame.

Racing is a funny game.

Just ask property tycoon Kevin Seymour. He has had to scratch his star pacer Leap To Fame from the $300,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup on Saturday with a virus.

For the boom stallion – who won harness racing’s Triple Crown – the race was a chance to join the mighty Preux Chevalier as the only pacers to have won harness racing’s “Grand Slam” – Victoria Cup, Inter Dominion, Miracle Mile and Hunter Cup.

It also puts the horse’s chances to race in the New Zealand Cup in doubt and win the five top tier Australasian harness races – which no horse has ever done.

Seymour, who has had plenty of highs and lows in his property career, says it’s now a waiting game. “It’s really set the cat among the pigeons,” Seymour says. “We made the decision to scratch him because of the virus and we will have to wait and see when he’s over it. The New Zealand Cup is on November 12 so we will have to get him to Sydney and see how he is.”

The good news is that Leap To Fame is a five-year-old and a relatively young horse so there’s still time to etch his name in history.

The stallion was only the second horse to win harness racing’s Triple Crown in one campaign, and Seymour – who famously recovered from a heart attack to see the racing sensation win the first leg of the crown – the Inter Dominion in Brisbane last year – says he could still be recognised as the best ever.

With a record of 43 wins from just 54 starts, Leap to Fame is guided by trainer and driver Grant Dixon, who is aiming for the Inter Dominion final in Sydney on November 29.

Seymour, who with wife Kay have been mainstays of the industry for well over 50 years, says Leap To Fame has captured the public’s imagination.

“It’s good for the sport. Everyone is talking about him. We accept that he’s a true champion,” Seymour says.

“The Americans are saying to us, ‘why don’t you go to the US and compete against the best horses’.

“I’m saying that if the Americans think they have the best horses in the world why don’t they bring them down to Australia and compete for the richest prizemoney in the world.”

Leap To Fame in action at Albion Park.

Partnering up

Multi-award winning VenuesLive is the new hospitality partner at the Thomas Dixon Centre, home of Queensland Ballet, the Van Norton Li Community Health Institute and Ausdance Queensland.

VenuesLive managing director Daryl Kerry says the group was committed to delivering world-class culinary experiences in Thomas Dixon Centre’s unique and amazing dining and event settings.

“Our vision is to curate immersive experiences across all spaces, elevating the overall ambience and creating lasting memories for all who visit,” he says.

Queensland Ballet chairman Brett Clark says the partnership will enable the company to activate Thomas Dixon Centre to be a cultural, lifestyle and foodie destination, offering a distinct and memorable experience, whether it’s a pre-theatre dinner, corporate function, or simply a great cup of coffee.

Dancer Bill Simpson at Queensland Ballet going through his pacers at the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End

Opportunity

A prime development site in a prime position overlooking the Capricorn Coast in

Yeppoon, next to the Strand Hotel, is being offered to the market for the first time in more than 22 years.

The 2265 sqm property at 8-14 Anzac Pde has development approval in place until February

2026 for a seven-storey mixed-use development, called Mint Yeppoon.

Price expectations for the property are $7.5m plus GST.

It is being taken to the market via an Offers to Purchase campaign run by Pat O’Driscoll and Adam Kelly of Knight Frank on behalf of the vendor, Brookport Pty Ltd.