Catch up on the week's harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.
LTF 43
The Leap To Fame juggernaut rolled on with a clinical victory in the open pace after leading throughout on Saturday evening.
Walking by Leap To Fame standards through a 60.1 second opening half, Grant Dixon allowed his champion to stride through the last 800 metres, posting the closing splits in 27.2 and 26.1 seconds.
It was a perfect hit out for the Hall Of Fame pacer in readiness for the upcoming defence of The Race at Cambridge.
He scored the 67th win of his career.
Saturday’s appearance was the 50th time Leap To Fame had raced at Albion Park.
The victory took his win tally to 43, alongside six minor placings.
That moved leap To Fame into outright fifth position for most ever Albion Park victories.
Grant Dixon has prepared three horses that are now within the top five.
Our Overanova (51), Colt Thirty One (44) and Leap To Fame have all been trained by Grant Dixon.
They sit second, fourth and fifth respectively on the list.
Destreos and Nickys Falcon round out the top five.
Turning out winners at all three Albion Park and both Redcliffe meetings for the week, Saturday was the highlight for the Dixon stable with a winning treble.
The run of winners helped the state’s leading stable reach 50 wins for the season.
Lucky Luda delivered the half century with victory at Redcliffe on Wednesday night.
COLT THIRTY ONE ON THE BOARD
Colt Thirty One secured 44 Albion Park victories in a career that produced 51 wins in total.
The former Queensland Horse of the Year winner has now sired his first winner.
Oneandonly is from the first crop of Colt Thirty One and the first of the 2019 Blacks A Fake champions progeny that has raced this season.
Finishing sixth on debut, Oneandonly was an outsider at his second race start last Monday at Marburg.
However, after an inch perfect drive by Gary Bond, the two-year-old arrived in the closing stages to break maiden ranks.
Trained by Gary Gerrard, the colt is raced by his breeders, Robert Heidt and Lynne Bilyk.
Oneandonly is the first foal of the five-win Mr Feelgood mare Tildalyn.
Starting from the second line, Oneandonly was angled to race on the inside.
Bond sliced through a gap turning for home.
Finishing over the top, it was an impressive piece of driving from Bond to arrive for victory.
BATHURST BATTLE GROUND
Ben Battle took a team of horses south to Bathurst for the Gold Crown Carnival and while success in the main Group 1 heats may have been elusive, it proved to be a successful trip.
Hopeful of qualifying San Luca for the Gold Crown, a disappointing ninth in the fifth heat meant the hopes were quashed.
However, the trip still produced victories in a pair of support features throughout the carnival with Beyond Doubt and Megs Boy both successful.
Beyond Doubt claimed wins in the heat and decider of the Honouree Stakes.
Seaton Grima took the reins in the heat win before Harrison Ross drove the gelding in the Final.
Megs Boy was third-up from a spell when tackling the Hondo Grattan Sprint.
Brendan Barnes drove the five-year-old and after leading from gate one, he gave no other runner a chance.
Barnes let the gelding stride free in the third quarter.
The 26.4 second split opened the race up and with a final split of 27.8 seconds, Megs Boy cruised home to post a victory.
Beyond Doubt and Megs Boy are both owned by Sonny Grebe.
STAR GAZING
It is now under 100 days until the first-round heats of the Inter Dominion are held at Albion Park.
There have been several performances across the country that will now be under the spotlight for potential Queensland Constellations runners.
At Bathurst on Saturday night, there were a few runners that will likely be targeting a Queensland winter with four Group races decided.
Brooklyn Dan contested the 2025 Protostar and the now three-year-old claimed the Group 2 Gold Chalice.
The result ended the unbeaten streak of Hollywood Strip who finished third.
Splitting the pair was the Bern Hewitt-trained Yottie.
All three could be Queensland-bound with races like The Rising Sun and Queensland Derby on the agenda.
Jacwill Kid and Birdsong won the Crown and Tiara Finals respectively.
Jacwill Kid and Birdsong are potentially in the mix for The Protostar, which is the richest two-year-old race in the country.
Notanotha Naughty, a three-year-old trotter, claimed the Gold Coronet and with The Great Square returning to The Constellations carnival in 2026, a trip north could beckon for the Glenn Hunter-trained gelding.
Heats of the Riverina Championships on Friday will also likely prove a form reference for the Constellations.
Sanchez, Sweet On Lexy and Gunna Reload have ventured north in past seasons and all three were successful in their respective heats.
THIS WEEK
Trainers and participants are reminded of changed closing times for nominations and acceptances and the respective deadlines across the next 10 days with the Easter weekend approaching.
With no racing this Friday, Albion Park will host a Monday night meeting this week, complemented by Tuesday afternoon and Saturday’s metropolitan fixture.
Redcliffe will race Wednesday and Thursday, while Marburg will race on Sunday.
The popular Goldstrike Final will be the key feature on the day following the three heats held last Monday.
