Swayzee winning the 2026 AG Hunter Cup
LEAP To Fame is a better horse than Swayzee and has the record to prove it.
But Swayzee’s epic defence of his Hunter Cup title at Melton last night raised the genuine question which of them has a better record in the absolute biggest races, those being the Australian Grand Circuit and NZ majors.
For comparison, Swayzee has won four Grand Circuit races, plus two iconic NZ Cups. His Grand Circuit wins include the two Hunter Cups and Victoria Cup, which count as top shelf.
So, on any measure, you would say Swayzee four absolute marquee wins plus the Victoria Cup and Blacks A Fake.
Leap To Fame has won four Grand Circuit races. Of them, you only have to count one of the Brisbane Inter Dominions (when he beat Swayzee in 2023), the Hunter Cup and Miracle Mile as marquee.
His two major NZ wins came last year in the Race by betcha and NZ free-for-all.
Factoring in the stage, the field and the way Leap To Fame won both, you would only count the Race by betcha (one of the best wins of his career) as top shelf.
So, that gives him four marquee wins as well.
Look elsewhere to their head-to-head record, which Leap To Fame leads 5-3.
Dig deeper and only six of those clashes have been at Grand Circuit level and it’s 3-3.
The facts say there isn’t much between the siblings in the races that really matter.
In all their clashes except one, whoever has had the better run has won. The one outlier was the Mr Feelgood at Albion Park on July 13, 2024 when Swayzee led and Leap To Fame sat outside him and won easily.
Both are much closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, but let’s hope we get to see more of the rivalry before the curtain comes down for one or both.
The Miracle Mile is a possible clash on March 14, so is the Race by betcha at Cambridge on April 10.
Further ahead, Jason Grimson has said he would love to get eight-year-old Swayzee to one more Inter Dominion at Albion Park in July.
The biggest difference so far, and what makes Leap To Fame the better horse, is how close he comes to beating Swayzee after having to sit outside him.
Reverse the rolls and put Leap To Fame in front and Swayzee has struggled, which is no disgrace given Leap To Fame is one of the best we’ve ever seen.
On the flipside, imagine if Leap To Fame hadn’t been around what Swayzee’s dominance would have been?
FEATURE OPEN CLASS WINS
SWAYZEE (6)
· 4 Australian Grand Circuit wins: 2 x AG Hunter Cups, Victoria Cup and Blacks A Fake)
· 2 NZ Cups
LEAP TO FAME (7)
· 5 Australian Grand Circuit wins (2 Inter Doms, 1 AG Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile and Blacks A Fake)
· 1 NZ free-for-all, Race By Betcha
HEAD-TO-HEAD
· Leap To Fame 5/Swayzee 3
· The clashes:
· July 23, 2023 Gp1 Blacks A Fake (Swayzee 1, Leap To Fame 2)
· Dec 16, 2023 Gp1 Inter Dominion final (Leap To Fame 1, Swayzee 3)
· July 13, 2024 Mr Feelgood Open (Leap To Fame 1, Swayzee 2)
· July 27, 2024 Gp1 Blacks A Fake (Leap To Fame 1, Swayzee 2)
· Feb 1, 2025 Gp1 Hunter Cup (Swayzee 1, Leap To Fame 2)
· Mar 8, 2025 Gp1 Miracle Mile (Leap To Fame 2, Swayzee 4)
· Jan 31, 2026 Gp1 Cranbourne Cup (Leap To Fame 1, Swayzee 6)
· Feb 14, 2026 Gp1 Hunter Cup (Swayzee 1, Leap To Fame 2)
PHOTO: Stuart McCormick
