Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - May 15

Catch up on the week's harness racing action in our weekly review, thanks to Darren Clayton.

THE GOOD

Australia’s best three-year-old in 2022 made his first race appearance for 2023 and he picked things up, right where he left them, with a classy victory.

After an aborted initial return date owing to confusion regarding the guarantee of a race going ahead, Leap To Fame made a long-awaited return to kick-start his four-year-old term.

A total of 197 days since his last race where he claimed the New South Wales Breeders Challenge in dominant fashion with a benchmark 1.49.0 mile, the Grant Dixon-trained entire was lining up in a qualifying pace at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Starting from barrier five, Dixon was not going to take any chances and sent Leap To Fame forward as the mobile pulled away from the field.

With Angus Garrard and Classie Washington wanting to get in the action early in search of a peg line position, Leap To Fame was left three-wide through the first 600 metres of the 2138 metre journey, eventually getting across to lead the field.

The early pressure saw the opening quarter run in a slick 27.9 seconds, with Dixon able to back it off to a 30.9 second split.

Allowing the four-year-old to slide down the back straight in a slick 27.5 second quarter, it was a 55.1 second last half as he was eased down to the line to score an effortless first up victory.

The early tactics from Garrard were well-judged with Classie Washington holding on for second placing, six metres in arrears of the winner.

Living in the shadows of his more illustrious stable mate, Tims A Trooper made ground from back in the pack to grab third.

In a season with a plethora of rich features to chase, the much-anticipated return could not have been any more impressive from Dixon’s star pupil.

The win was the 18^th of his career from 24 starts and the 1.53.3 rate set a new class record for a four-year-old male pacer over the 2138 metre journey, shaving 0.1 off the previous record, jointly held by a pair of Dixon-trained Group 1 winners - Colt Thirty One and Governor Jujon.

With 12 of those career wins coming at Queensland’s pacing headquarters, the lead up to the Constellations Carnival now moves up a notch for Leap To Fame.

With spots in the Rising Sun and Eureka already locked away, the Redcliffe club will be hoping they can lure the four-year-old to the Peninsula for the $50,000 Patrons Purse on June 16.

THE BAD

It was all bad for those drivers hoping to gain ground in the state and national drivers premierships on Saturday night when current leader Nathan Dawson had a night out at Albion Park.

Converting his opportunities, Dawson was able to claim five winners for the night, the second time in his career that he has annexed a quintet of winners.

Such is the strength of his season, not only is it the second time in his career, but it comes just six weeks after claiming his five winners at Albion Park on March 21.

Claiming the feat at a Tuesday mid-week meeting on the first occasion, the latest five-win haul came at the Saturday night metropolitan fixture.

The last Queensland driver to claim a five win bag was Pete McMullen on December 22, 2021, recording the achievement twice that season - the year he set a Queensland record of 315 wins for the season.

With four and a half months of the 2023 season decided, Dawson continues the frenetic tempo, currently sitting on 149 wins for the term.

Starting the night in race one with an all the way win aboard the classy mare Uptown Beachgirl for trainer Donny Smith, the four-year-old continued her brilliant form with a fourth successive win.

Making it two from two in the next race, Dawson made the winning move out of the machine with Bomb Suit, finding the front before releasing to the favourite Yep Got Chooks.

Angling the six-year-old to the outside in the stretch, the Jason Carkeet-trained gelding responded and sprinted hard to claim his eleventh career victory.

Challenging Uptown Beachgirl for the most impressive of Dawson’s wins was My Ultimate Byron, a four-year-old he also trains.

Pressing forward soon after the start from barrier six to find the front through a 27.7 second opening quarter.

Keeping the speed on throughout, the second quarter was the slowest at 29.8 seconds before the tempo went back on, running identical splits of 27.4 seconds over the last 800 metres to stop the clock in a mile-rate of 1.52.0.

The quartet was complete by race four, with trainer Donny Smith also securing a double when Dawson combined with Stormtide for an all the way win.

Out of the money at his next three drives, Dawson had the reins behind the race favourite, Adelle, in the last race for trainer Jack Butler.

Sending the mare forward soon after the start, he was content to sit parked outside the leader Sugarinspice over the mobile 2138 metre journey.

In grinding out the fifteenth victory of her career, Adelle took her stakes beyond $150,000 and Dawson took his lead in the state premiership to 81 wins over Pete McMullen on 68 wins for the term.

Nationally the lead is 58 over the New South Welshman, Cam Hart on 91 wins, with a further seven back to third placed James Herbertson who leads the Victorian state premiership.

THE WILDCARD

Having just recently taken his first race drive, 16-year-old Layne Dwyer was able to provide his mother Marty with an ideal Mother’s Day present, driving two horses she owns to victory last week.

With the first two wins of his career coming aboard Little Change, it was an all-family affair when Layne partnered with Despondent to claim victory at Redcliffe on Tuesday May 9.

Firing off the arm to take the eight-year-old straight to the front, Layne was able to get through a steady opening half of 61.8 seconds.

Dialling the tempo up through the last 800 metres in quarters of 27.7 and 27.9 seconds, Despondent pulled clear from his rivals to claim a 9.5-metre victory.

It was the fifth win in 16 starts that Marty has owned the gelding, which is trained by her husband, Layne’s father, Graham.

Purchasing the gelding just prior to a trip to the Tamworth carnival in January, Despondent has proven to be a great money-spinner, with his five wins and a further four minor placings bringing in just over $39,000 in stake earnings.

Adding to the week, Graham and Layne combined again at Redcliffe on Thursday with another victory, this time with Luxury Lad.

Also owned by Marty, it was another all the way victory for Layne, bringing up his fourth career success, guiding the six-year-old gelding to a 4.2 metre winning margin.

It was the twelfth career win for Luxury Lad, with 10 of those recorded since being purchased by the Dwyers in February last year.

THE MILESTONE

Having been nabbed in the race to become the oldest horse to claim a victory in Queensland in 2023, veteran warhorse Lancelot Bromac squared the ledger at Redcliffe last Tuesday.

Bukthsystem became the first 13-year-old winner in 2023 on May 7, however ‘Lance’ did not let ‘Buk’ get too much limelight, claiming a win of his own on May 9, with both veteran’s securing the feat at Redcliffe.

The win for Lancelot Bromac had added significance, with his 34^th career victory also being the first time he has claimed success at Redcliffe.

In 28 previous attempts around the unique Triangle shaped track that had been winless, Lancelot Bromac finally claimed a breakthrough victory, darting home along the passing lane to claim the milestone moment.

Driven by Leonard Cain for just the second time this season, it was the seventeenth time overall that Cain had been at the reins of the veteran in his career and in securing the passing lane victory, claimed his first win aboard the gelding.

Cain is one of 28 drivers to have driven Lance in a race and joins an elite club of 11 drivers to guide the gelding to success.

Pete McMullen leads the way, having been in the gig for nine of those wins, with Angus Garrard and Dannielle Veivers next on the list, having each partnered with the warhorse for six victories, while it was Brad Cowen that was in the seat at his first ever race victory.

Once again proving the constitution of the standardbred, Lancelot Bromac has won a race for 12 successive seasons, having won at least once every season since his two-year-old days.

THIS WEEK

Monday night racing will take place from Redcliffe to start seven straight days of harness action in Queensland.

The week will be a slight variation to the regular schedule with Thursday and Friday slots switching from most weeks.

Redcliffe will host meetings on Monday night, Wednesday night, Friday afternoon and Sunday night.

On Wednesday night at Redcliffe, the final two Trot Rod heats before the Final night on Wednesday May 24 will be held.

Aroda currently leads the fastest heat time, his victory in heat five of 64.6 seconds the current benchmark for the 2023 series.

Swapping the Thursday and Friday fixtures, Albion Park hosts a 10 race card on Tuesday afternoon and will race again on Thursday afternoon before hosting the Saturday night metropolitan fixture.

Saturday night’s action will see the running of the QBRED Breeders Classics, with finals for each sex of both two-year-olds and three-year-olds.