Mick Boots, Swayzee and Cam hart after winning the 2026 AG Hunter Cup
IT was the night top driver Cam Hart described as perfect.
The 26-year-old won all his five drives at Melton last night, thwarted Leap To Fame’s quest for a $1 million bonus by beating him again on Swayzee and scored a mesmerizing win on the most exciting pacer he has driven, Captains Mistress.
“It not sure it gets better on a racetrack than that,” he said.
“To go from Swayzee doing what only Swayzee can do and fighting back to beat Leap To Fame, to winning by so far and with so much ease on Captains Mistress.
“They (Swayzee and Captains Mistress) are so different, but amazing in their own ways.
“Swayzee is the greatest horse I’ve driven and he’s done things for me, Jase (Grimson, trainer) and Mick (Boots, owner) we’ll never forget and may never do again.
“And now we’re together again with Captains Mistress, who is just a freak, a superstar and for sheer excitement, the best I’ve driven. She’s just got so much speed.”
Hart’s other wins for Grimson came on injury-plagued Miracle Mile hopeful Hi Manamesisjeff in the quirky Mercury80 over just 1200m and new stable addition Chase A Dream in the last race.
Hart also teamed with premier Victorian trainer Emma Stewart to win the Caduceus 3YO Classic aboard Brooklyn Dan.
But it was Swayzee who lifted one of the biggest crowds Melton has seen to win the best Hunter Cup in more than a decade.
Swayzee eventually worked his way to the lead as most expected and then Leap To Fame was around to sit outside him for the same roles they had last year.
On the home bend, most felt Leap To Fame had Swayzee beaten, but not Hart.
“Maybe he (Leap To Fame) got a head in front of me, but I knew when he did and Swayzee started kicking back like he does, that we’d have him,” he said.
“Just when I thought I was holding Leap To Fame, I had to look back to the inside and Republican Party was coming at me, too. He just kept finding and finding like he does.”
Swayzee beat Leap To Fame by a half-neck with a nose away to Republican Party in third spot.
The hard luck story was NZ and Victoria Cup winner Kingman, who was checked and broke soon after the start from a back row draw and did a massive job to finish a close sixth.
It was a complete contrast for Hart aboard Captains Mistress in the $150,000 Group 1 Queen of the Pacific as she sailed away to win by 25m.
Her next target is the $250,000 Group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle on March 7 where she will be trying to become the fourth mare to beat the boys in the history of Australia’s premier four-year-old feature.
While Leap To Fame was narrowly denied his bonus, brilliant trotting mare Keayang Zahara barely raised a sweat to win her $500,000 bonus by taking out the Group 1 Great Southern Star.
Along with her actual prize money from winning a heat and final of the race, Keayang Zahara earned almost $650,000 on the night.
Keayang Zahara has won 25 of 26 starts, including 13 at Group 1 level, and is drawing comparisons with the greatest Australasian trotters of all-time like Lyell Creek and Maori’s Idol.
“It’s as much relief as excitement to get it done,” co-trainer Paddy Lee said. “It’s been a long six weeks.”
Lee and his co-trainer and mother, Marg, snared the trifecta in the Great Southern Star with Jilliby Ballerini second and Jilliby Dreamlover third.
While many can’t wait to see Keayang Zahara take on the world in Sweden or the US, NZ is as far as she’ll be going this year.
“The next really big target is Cambridge (the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot, April 10),” Lee said.
“You’ll likely see her back at Melton in two weeks for the Grand Prix and then our focus will turn to Cambridge.”
PHOTO: Stuart McCormick
