Queensland Harness Racing Wrap - March 11

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

THE GOOD

“You run out of superlatives when you talk about a horse of this quality, he is a champion from head to toe,’’ Fred Hastings said after Leap To Fame claimed the Miracle Mile on Saturday night.

The commentary all week had focussed on the barrier being against Leap To Fame, having drawn gate seven of the eight runners.

Yet Leap To Fame proved he is indeed a champion, overcoming a tough trip when sitting outside fellow Queenslander, Speak The Truth, and then fighting off a late challenge by Sooner The Bettor.

“I have delayed calling him a champion, until tonight, and tonight as you know, I have declared that he is a real champion,” owner Kevin Seymour said.

“What else can the horse do, he has won his last ten races straight, he has won them convincingly and we will probably take him to New Zealand now and race him in the Grins in New Zealand.”

The race changed complexion after 150 metres when Hi Manameisjeff - who had shown early speed - galloped, ending his chances in the process.

With Adam Sanderson and Speak The Truth beginning well, the early change allowed Sanderson to booth through and hold the front turning out of the home straight on the first occasion.

Grant Dixon continued to press forward and was able to position outside the leader, as the first two quarters appeared on the board in 26.1 and 28 seconds. 

Through a third split of 27.1 seconds, as the field approached the home turn, Leap To Fame had moved up to Speak The Truth while those further behind tried to make their runs.

Leap To Fame moved up and took the front, with Sooner The Bettor finding open space and looming ominously to look like a major threat.

The four-year-old moved up, but Leap To Fame dug deep, fought back, and pulled away again close to the line in a 26.9 seconds last panel to stop the clock in 1.48.3.

“Larry had to dig in deep to fight him off,” Dixon said after the race. 

“I had a fair few concerns until we got near the post where he fought back and was sort of always going to hold him on the line.”

It was the 35^th career win for Leap To Fame, taking his stake earnings to $2,765,957 with the victory, the plan to race in the Newcastle Mile and not the sprint qualifiers paying the maximum dividend.

“We sat down and made a plan with it all and we were hoping it would come together and hoped we had made the right choices - taking him home and going to Newcastle. Thankfully it all played out and we got the job done,” Dixon said.

The Shannon Price-trained Speak the Truth was brave in defeat, holding on for third place, the five-year-old moving past $500,000 in stake earnings with third place prize money.

Potential slot holders will be keen to lock away Speak The Truth to run under their banner, with either Race By Grins in New Zealand or The Nullarbor on the radar, with the Fremantle Cup one week after The Nullarbor, giving the Perth trip an enticing follow-up.

For the owners of Leap To Fame - Kevin and Kay Seymour - who have won every big race on the Australian harness racing calendar in 50 years of involvement, their first Miracle Mile was one to savour.

“To have spent all that time with an ambition of winning this race and then to win the Golden Crown of the three big events, I don’t think it gets any better than what it is tonight," Kevin said. 

THE BAD

A lean start to the year by way of winners has quickly turned around for Tayla Gillespie who had three winners from five starters last week.

Starting the week without a winner from her previous 26 starters, Gillespie opened her 2024 winners account at 'The Creek' on Tuesday when Head Em Up proved successful.

A three-year-old trotter that has joined the Gillespie barn this season from New Zealand, the talented type arrived as a last-start Group 3 winner at Addington.

Unplaced after an error first-up, it was a much-improved effort second up before the talented square gaiter showed his turn of hoof on Tuesday.

Looking in danger of being locked away, Nathan Dawson angled wider in the home stretch, the move costing him a suspension, as Head Em Up sprinted hard to arrive in the last strides to score.

A son of Waterloo Sunset, Head Em Up is held in high regard and a feature race campaign is being mapped out, with targets including the New South Wales Trotters Derby, Queensland Derby and The Great Square.

On Friday afternoon, Gillespie was able to double the season tally when Rock Nien was successful, driven to victory by Shane Graham in the last race of the afternoon.

Settling behind the leader in the run, Graham angled into open space in the stretch and Rock Nien responded with a strong closing sprint, arriving in the last bound to win by the barest possible margin.

With just one runner in on Saturday night and once again like the previous day – in the last race - the Gillespie and Graham combination proved successful as Majestic Lavros resumed from a spell with victory.

Last seen in the Inter Dominion Trotters Final in December, Majestic Lavros showed a strong closing sprint to claim a personal best 1.56.1 winning rate, claiming a 2.4 metre margin over Tam Oshanter which had led out of the barrier until the closing strides.

The nine-year-old has now won two races for Gillespie, both wins coming when first-up from a spell.

THE WILDCARD

Another Team Teal campaign is coming to completion and Saturday night saw the running of the Ladies Driver Invitation race, which has become a keenly sought after annual event.

The 2024 edition went to Taleah McMullen who partnered the Doug Hewitt-trained Infinity Beach to an all the way victory.

Sent forward as the mobile pulled clear of the field, Infinity Beach had the front after 200 metres and from there was never headed in claiming victory by over seven metres.

After running the field through a first half 56.6 seconds, the tempo remained solid through a 28.6 second third split.

Turning for home, McMullen had a quick peek over her shoulder and with nothing making ground out of the pack, was able to drive the six-year-old down to the wire for a comfortable victory, the 1.53.5 rate a career best.

With her two elder sisters also lining up in the event, the youngest of the four McMullen siblings claimed bragging rights with the dictating victory.

For trainer Doug Hewitt, it also signalled the first metropolitan training victory since relocating to the Sunshine State.

The mare which Hewitt trains for his mother Cath and Reg Morris could well be the new stable favourite and hold a special place in the team, having given Doug his first Queensland win and now the first metro victory.

The daughter of Somebeachsomewhere has now won 21 races, two of those for Doug and the previous 19 when trained by his father Bernie.

For McMullen, it was her first win in the Team Teal Invitation, having been an ambassador last year for the annual fund-raising event.

THE MILESTONE

Arriving in Queensland as a multiple Group 1-winner and stepping out for his first race at Albion Park in October 2020, Turn It Up has been 'Mr Consistent' in his entire tenure in the Sunshine State.

On Saturday night at 'The Creek', the nine-year-old was able to chalk up another victory when dictating terms over the 2138 metre journey.

With his blistering gate speed meaning the prevailing race map would be on his terms, nothing came around and that allowed trainer and driver Shane Graham to control the speed.

Walking the field through an opening half that you would not see maiden performers run on a Tuesday, the 64.5 seconds that appeared on the board spelled danger for those that would need to chase.

With another conservative 28.7 seconds off the back stretch, the race developed into a 400 metre sprint and with Turn It Up scorching up the stretch in 26.6 seconds, it became impossible for anything to run the gelding down.

Holding a two metre margin over runner-up Deus Ex, Turn It Up claimed his 21^st victory at Albion Park, taking his career figures to 33 wins from 80 starts.

Contesting four Blacks A Fake Championships, the 2023 Inter Dominion Final, three Sunshine Sprints and two Queensland Cups, Shane Graham has done a great job managing the career of Turn It Up.

THIS WEEK

A total of seven straight days of racing in Queensland starts on Monday night at Redcliffe with a seven race card to be decided.

There will be three meetings for the week from the Peninsula club, three from Albion Park and the final meeting of the week will be a Sunday afternoon fixture from Marburg.

The Marburg meeting will see heats held for what has become a highly sought after prize, the Oakwood Capital Goldstrike Series.

The standing start series has proven popular in recent seasons, and in 2024 the Final will offer $35,000 in stakes.

Tuesday at Albion Park will see nine races conducted, including the second two-year-old race of the year after Lieutenant Lou claimed the first at 'The Creek' last week.