Captains Mistress winning the 2026 Chariots Of Fire
MENANGLE trainer Jason Grimson’s quest for a third Inter Dominion crown will be much clearer after a massive opening night of the series at Albion Park tomorrow (Saturday) night.
Remarkably, Grimson is just 32 and can become just the fourth trainer to win three Inter Dominion pacing finals if he can upstage the great Leap To Fame on July 18.
He would join Hall of Famers Brian Hancock (five wins), Natalie Rasmussen (five), Mark Purdon (three) and Gary Hall Sr (three).
But only Hancock has done it with three different horses (Our Sir Vancelot, Thorate and Weona Warrior), which Grimson is trying to do this year after winning with Boncel Benjamin in 2021 and I Cast No Shadow in 2022.
Grimson has three runners in this series, recent stable additions Minos and Dangerous in the heats and champion mare Captains Mistress in the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun.
Captains Mistress is $1.60 favourite in the Rising Sun which carries a golden ticket into the $1 million Inter Dominion final. Most believe she will be Leap To Fame’s biggest danger if she makes it through.
NSW dominates the Rising Sun with star three-year-old pair Zeus Lightning and Hollywood Strip in gates one and two, along with last week’s breathtaking winner Double Lou drawn five.
Cam Hart, who drives Captains Mistress and will stick with her should she make the final, reunites with TAB Eureka and Chariots Of Fire winner Bay Of Biscay for champion Victorian trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin tomorrow night’s first pacing heat (race two).
Minos has gate 11 in that heat with Grimson to take the reins, while NSW warhorse and recent Nullarbor winner Max Delight gets his chance from the pole.
The third heat is by the strongest with Leap To Fame (gate five) again clashing with Queensland’s other top pacer, The Janitor (six). The pair fought out the Miracle Mile on March 14 with Leap To Fame winning narrowly but impressively.
In-form NSW pair Ubetcha Tigerpie (gate two) and Nyack (seven) have claims, while Grimson’s Dangerous will need luck from inside the back row (gate eight).
The Janitor’s stablemate Gus is a $1.50 pre-post favourite for the $500,000 trotting final on July 18 and should win his first heat from an ideal gate two tomorrow night.
The other trotting heat is a lot more open with defending champion Arcee Phoenix drawn wide in six.
Much interest will be on gifted but injury-plagued mare Susan Is Her Name, who hasn’t raced since beating champion mare Keayang Zahara in the Group 1 Macarthur Mile at Menangle 15 months ago.
Co-trainer Emma Stewart said the mare is primed after two good trial wins against the pacers recently and a back row draw (gate nine) suits first-up.
· PHOTOS: Club Menangle/Pacepix
