Flat tyre a blow for Leap To Fame as older brother claims feature

Older brother Swayzee overcomes Leap To Fame in Blacks A Fake at Albion Park.

SWAYZEE winning the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park
SWAYZEE winning the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park Picture: Dan Costello/Racing Queensland

Leap To Fame may have been the vanquished in the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park but in the progression of the headline four-year-old's career, the story has taken another interesting turn with a flat tyre there adding to the intrigue.

Leap To Fame's brother – by a year – Swayzee ($6.50) took out the $250,000 feature – a Grand Circuit event – over 2680 metres to give trainer Jason Grimson and driver Cameron Hart back-to-back victories in Queensland's premier event in harness racing.

Notching a sixth victory in succession, the son of dam Lettucereason, had enough of a kick in the home straight to hold off the late charge of the $1.30 favourite.

"I can't believe it," Hart said.

"The horse went absolutely super tonight and he is a pleasure to drive.

"He's such a strong horse and I thought Leap to Fame would have to be out of this world to beat me tonight with the time I was running."

The five-year-old brought the feature field home with a mile rate of 1:54.0.

"When Leap To Fame got to my wheel I thought 'righto, the two brothers are in for a fight'," Hart added.

"But as soon as he came up to me I had a good kick and once he didn't get to me on the turn - he can lay with the turn - I was pretty confident I would kick away in the straight."

With the favourite beaten, apart from having to reel in the older brother in the run to the line, a flat tyre was an obvious impediment for Leap To Fame coming from four horses back, one off the Albion Park pegs to achieve three wins at the highest level in as many weeks.


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