Wisper A Secret delivers local win in Rising Sun

By Ken Warren

Wisper A Secret delivered his trainer and driver the biggest wins of their careers when he overcame a setback to win the Group 1 Racing and Sports The Rising Sun at Albion Park on Saturday night.

Trained by Chantal Turpin and driven by Pete McMullen, Wisper A Secret became the second Queensland-trained winner of the Rising Sun to follow in the footsteps of Leap To Fame last year.

Wisper A Secret went into the race without a run for six weeks so Turpin's effort to have the gelding at peak condition won plenty of accolades.

Wisper a Secret also had to overcome a second-row draw but was looming on leader Don Hugo into the final straight, digging deep to beat the NSW visitor by a half head with another local Aroda third.

"This is the biggest race I've won in my career, and Chantal's as well," McMullen said.

"It's very special. It's a horse that we broke in, we've had him all the way through.

"Chantal has done a wonderful job getting him spot on tonight. He failed at his last start but she turned him back around."

Turpin admitted the horse was one of her favourites even before tonight's win.

"He's got a lot of quirks, but he's part of my camp so he's a bit spoiled," she said.

"I'm pretty emotional. I'm pretty proud of him and the hard work pays off."

Brave mare Rockinwithattitude added to her good record at Albion Park with a fighting win in the night's other Group 1, the Haras des Trotteurs The Great Square.

Trained and driven by David Miles, Rockinwithattitude had won last year's Queensland Trotters Oaks and Derby double in Brisbane to follow her fourth to London To A Brick in The Great Square but tonight gained revenge on that rival.

Rockinwithattitude had to work to find the front with London To A Brick looming on her outside but the Victorian dug deep to hold the defending champion at bay by a half neck.

"She's the best horse I've ever had," Miles said after the win, her 18th from just 30 starts.

"To get her to be as brave as she was then when that horse was there to beat her, she knuckled down tonight and had a red hot crack.

 "(London To A Brick) was always the horse to beat and to keep him outside me was always the plan. But there is a lot more speed inside us now, these trotters are getting faster and faster off the gate.

Local hero Leap To Fame made a one-act affair of his much anticipated rematch with his half sibling Swayzee, showing true class with a thumping win in the Group 3 Mr Feelgood.

Swayzee was able to hold the lead from the inside barrier while Leap To Fame was made to work from his second row draw into the death seat.

But trainer/driver Grant Dixon poured the pressure on in the final lap and Leap To Fame swept past his rival, cruising home by 8.5m in a mile rate of 1:51.0.

Leap To Fame will now be a hot favourite for Group 1 assignments over the next two Saturdays where he'll look to defend his Sunshine Sprint crown and avenge last year's defeat to Swayzee in the Blacks A Fake.