Champion Kiwi trainer Cran Dalgety knows the enormity of the challenge ahead when his stable star Republican Party takes on Leap To Fame in Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Kilmore Cup.
While Republican Party is coming off a monstrous 2025 and being crowned NZ Horse of the Year last Saturday night, Dalgety admits facing the best Aussies is “a whole different ball game.”
At least the barriers have fallen Republican Party’s way with gate two making him a probable leader, while Leap To Fame will be the lone back row runner from gate eight.
Importantly, the Kilmore Cup is over the middle distance of 2180m compared to the staying trips Leap To Fame has thrived over to win the Ballarat and Cranbourne Cups at his past two starts.
“The draw is good, but we’ll take every edge we can get. We’ll need it,” Dalgety said.
“Our little guy has had a fantastic 12 months, but those big tough Aussies reminded us how good they are when they beat him twice in NZ Cup Week (November).
“We know the challenge we’re facing, but if you go back 12 months, he ran third in the Hunter Cup (behind Swayzee and Leap To Fame) and would’ve been closer with better luck when it mattered.
“He’s definitely a better horse now. He’s more mentally stronger.”
Interestingly, Dalgety thinks Republican Party may have a better winning chance in the stronger $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup on Saturday week than he will at Kilmore where Leap To Fame is his only “marquee” rival.
Superstars Kingman and Swayzee will join the fray in the Hunter Cup.
“I say that for a few reasons, the first being he hasn’t raced for five weeks going into this Kilmore run,” he said. “As well as worked at Pukekohe last week and has travelled across really well, nothing will bring him on more than a race this week.
“Compare that to Leap To Fame, who is rock hard and will be lining up for his fourth run in as many weeks.
“It’s pretty daunting when you see what he (Leap To Fame) did in that hot field last week at Cranbourne.
“We tried to take on Leap To Fame and Kingman at their own game in the NZ Cup and they were too good.
“I think the records show, if we’re going to beat them we need to let them do the work, stalk them and hope for the last shot at them.
“That’s why we’re giving the Hunter Cup a crack. If you put all those (Aussie) stars together like Leap To Fame, Kingman and Swayzee, we can mind our business a bit and hope they go hard at each other and forget about us.”
Leap To Fame needs to win again this week to keep his hopes of a new $1 million Summer of Glory bonus alive.
Having won the Ballarat and Cranbourne Cups, the champion Queenslander can bank the bonus if he adds Kilmore and the Hunter Cup.
Premier trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin add to the depth of the Kilmore Cup with three runners: Oliver Dan (gate three), Miki To Success (four) and last week’s impressive Cranbourne winner War Dan Buddy (five).
