THE start of Inter Dominion is still a month away, but the countdown hots up at Menangle tomorrow.
Former Inter Dominion champion Don Hugo and champion mare Captains Mistress clash for just the second time in the JD Watts free-for-all (1609m). Don Hugo was third with Captains Mistress a luckless fifth in the Miracle Mile at their only meeting.
Throw in star speedsters Hi Manameisjeff, former Inter Dominion runner-up Better Eclipse and classy ex-Kiwi Chase A Dream and it makes for a heck of a race.
But the preferential draw on sex conditions give Captains Mistress a huge advantage from gate one.
It could be the multiple Group 1 winner’s last run before starting her Queensland raid earlier than most.
Connections are looking seriously at the $100,000 Group 2 Redcliffe Cup on June 20 ahead of the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park on July 4.
Victory in the Rising Sun, in which Captains Mistress is $1.60 pre-post favourite, will get her a golden ticket into the $1 million Inter Dominion final on July 18.
Such is the boom on Captains Mistress, she has been backed into $5 second favourite behind Leap To Fame ($1.70) to win the final.
Leap To Fame adds to the Inter Dominion flavour of the night when he returns from a break at Albion Park.
The great seven-year-old hasn’t raced since winning his second $NZ1 million Race by Sport Nation at Cambridge on April 10.
It was arguably his greatest win so far.
“He seems as good as ever,” trainer-driver Grant Dixon said. “He only had a couple of weeks off after NZ, but that’s all he needed to freshen-up really well.”
Leap To Fame showed he was on target when he blazed a 1min49.8sec mile rate winning a 1660m Albion Park trial last Tuesday week.
“This might be his only lead-up run before the (Inter Dominion) heats,” Dixon said. “I know they are a month away, but there are a lot of standing-start handicaps programmed here in coming weeks and I don’t want to run him off a 30m handicap or something like that.
“I’m not saying he couldn’t win, but it wouldn’t be an ideal lead into the Inter Dominion. You’ve got to keep your eye on the prize.”
Dixon said he would be watching Captains Mistress with interest.
“I think this is a year the winner of the Rising Sun could be a big factor in the Inter Dominion final and she’s the favourite for it,” he said.
Another key race of the Menangle meeting is race seven where a trio of star three-year-olds will tune-up for Brisbane.
Zeus Lightning, a stablemate of Captains Mistress, and Luke McCarthy’s untapped and unbeaten The Niteshift are bound for the Group 1 Queensland Derby, while Leap To Fame’s baby half-sister Senses is being set for the Group 1 Queensland Oaks.
PHOTO: Captains Mistress- Stuart McCormick
