Don Hugo winning the 2025 Blacks A Fake
THE statistics tell the story of how enormous Leap To Fame’s task is to win a third Ladbrokes Inter Dominion final at Albion Park on Saturday night.
However you map the race, it is almost certain the champion Queenslander will much of the race working outside the leader, who is most likely to be his main danger Captains Mistress.
That’s different to how Leap To Fame has won his two Inter Dominion finals in 2023 and 2025 at Albion Park when he has worked to the lead.
Further, the past five Inter Dominion pacing final winners have raced on the inside (marker pegs) and either led or sat behind the leader.
Outside of Leap To Fame’s two wins, Don Hugo led “with a lap to go” in the 2024 Menangle final.
In 2021 at Menangle, Jason Grimson won his first final with Boncel Benjamin, who sat behind the leader (Expensive Ego) and won, albeit on protest.
A year later at Melton, another Grimson runner I Cast No Shadow also sat behind the leader (Act Now) and won.
Harness Racing Australia’s Toby McKinnon dug deep to reveal some worrying stats on Leap To Fame.
“In the past 12 months there have been four races over 2600m or further where Leap To Fame has not worked to the lead and he hasn’t won any of them,” he said.
He ran second in them all, starting with the NZ Cup last November, the Blacks A Fake a month later, the Shepparton Cup in January and the Hunter Cup in February.
That’s surprising.
Against that, some of Leap To Fame’s best wins have come parked outside the leader, including two Cambridge slot races and his first Miracle Mile in 2024.
Then there is his phenomenal record at Albion Park.
Leap To Fame has won 30 of his past 31 starts at The Creek, dating back to November 4, 2023.
The only defeat was in that Blacks A Fake last December when he did all the work and only beaten a whisker by Don Hugo, who had the cosy sit behind the leader and used the sprint.
Champions are just that because they defy history.
It’s something Leap To Fame will have to do yet again to win on Saturday night.
PHOTO: Don Hugo beats Leap To Fame in 2025 Blacks A Fake
