Captains Mistress winning the 2026 Rising Sun
GRANT Dixon knows Leap To Fame’s biggest threat to a third Inter Dominion crown isn’t racing in the last round of heats of the iconic series at Albion Park on Saturday night.
Champion mare Captains Mistress snared a golden ticket into Saturday week’s $1 million Ladbrokes Inter Dominion pacing final by winning last week’s Group 1 Rising Sun at Albion Park.
In the process, the freakish four-year-old smashed Leap To Fame’s 2138m track record, taking a whopping 0.7sec off the benchmark.
While Captains Mistress does have to race again Saturday night as part of the golden ticket “package”, she gets to race just four rivals of her own age. She is a $1.05 favourite and it should be little more than trackwork.
In contrast, Leap To Fame steps out against another Inter Dominion big gun The Janitor, who stretched him to a neck in the Miracle Mile in March, for the second time in as many qualifying heats.
Like everyone, Dixon was spellbound by Captains Mistress’ stunning display of sustained speed in the Rising Sun.
“That was quite something,” he said. “She’s only got to run up to that again in the (Inter Dominion) final and we’ve really got our work cut out.
“I always thought the Rising Sun could be a big factor in the Inter Dominion this year and that’s how it looks.”
While Leap To Fame is unbeaten in eight Inter Dominion races (heats and finals) across three series’ and renowned for thriving on the hard racing, Dixon knows he will need to do extra well this time.
“I hope he keeps building because she doesn’t need to, she only has to stay at the level she is.”
Dixon isn’t even sure Leap To Fame’s legendary staying prowess will be a huge advantage with the stretch from 2138m of the Rising Sun to the 2680m of the final.
“She looks fast and strong and she’s already run a terrific 2700m race to win a Group 1 (Queen of the Pacific) down in Melbourne,” he said.
“Everything points to this being one of our biggest challenges yet. She’s very fast and very good.”
As always, next Monday’s barrier draw will be important, probably more so for Leap To Fame than Captains Mistress.
“She’s faster out at the start than us (Leap To Fame),” Dixon said. “If she draws the front, she’d easily hold us out or cross us if she drew outside us.
“That means, it’s more likely than not she’ll draw to settle in front of us and that will make her very hard to beat.”
Captains Mistress firmed from $6 to $4.50 for the Inter Dominion since the Rising Sun, while Leap To Fame has eased from $1.40 to $1.50.
They will start much closer if Captains Mistress draws better than Leap To Fame.
Cam Hart, who has already beaten Leap To Fame in three Group 1 races aboard champion stayer Swayzee, will partner Captains Mistress in the final.
Against Captains Mistress is how long it’s been since a mare beat the boys to win the Inter Dominion pacing final.
That was Bob Knight-trained Jodie’s Babe at Gloucester Park, way back in 1989. Before that it was Stella Frost in 1971.
PHOTO: Toby Coutts
