Let’s take time to let that one soak in.
It deserves it.
Races simply don’t get any better than last Saturday night’s epic $1 million Ladbrokes Inter Dominion final.
From the moment Captains Mistress “won” her way into the field through the Rising Sun win, to the drama of the barrier draw (so astutely scheduled five days out from the race for the build up), then the pre-race “trash talk” of the addictively brash Jason Grimson … and then the race itself.
Billed as an epic match-race, it delivered in the most theatrical, absorbing and even emotional way.
The champ, the people’s horse, arguably the greatest of all time was beaten, but somehow lost nothing in the eyes of anyone.
Fittingly, in something I’ve never seen before, the packed Albion Park crowd (they locked the gates after race four) gave him a standing ovation and huge cheer and Leap To Fame jogged back past them towards the stables after the race.
It was a beautiful “wow” moment.
Most of them came to see him win. Instead of being disappointed, they were in awe of his courage and performance in defeat.
Many felt his greatness grew even in defeat.
Was it his best performance? Maybe.
It’s not the first time he’s been beaten (he’s won a staggering 72 of 92 starts and only been unplaced twice), but it was the way he did and what he almost overcame.
The first half of the race was a dream for Captains Mistress and a nightmare for Grant Dixon and Leap To Fame.
While the mare cruised around to take the lead as expected, Leap To Fame was stuck three-wide behind a labouring veteran Max Delight, who was going nowhere and eventually had to snag back to last, taking Leap To Fame back with him.
Instead of looking Captains Mistress in the eye with 1600m to run, Dixon was just starting his run again from near last around the field to try and pressure the leader.
Surely it was too big an ask?
Young gun Cam Hart had beaten Leap To Fame in three major races before on Swayzee and knows what it takes.
“I didn’t know what was going on back in the field, but I knew I had to try and take as much juice as I could out of him (Leap To Fame) when he was working around to sit outside me. I thought I had,” Hart said.
Leap To Fame was under hard driving from the moment he finally got outside the leader.
“Down the back (straight) I was jogging and thought I had him for sure,” Hart said. “Then I got a bit worried that the horse behind the leader (Cheerstolou) dropped off and Larry was able to drop in behind me.
“I knew I couldn’t let him get any breather, so I cut the ribbons on her then and made sure he had to chase hard again.
“I thought I had him again, but about 150m out I couldn’t believe he was still there and coming again, off my back.
“That’s when it was up to the mare to show what she was made of. She had to want to win, she had to be up for the biggest fight of her career.
“He’s a champion, one of the greatest we’ve seen, and he was coming at her, but she just kept finding.
“She’s a freak. She wouldn’t give in, she felt a bit like Swayzee in that last 100m. He wouldn’t give him, either.
“She had to win it, he made her. It took a champion performance from here, too.
“Two champions, leaving everything out there. I hope everyone at the track and watching at home enjoyed it.
“It’s a race I’ll never forget and hopefully we’ll see them clash a few more times yet. I can’t wait.”
It sounds like we will.
We know Leap To Fame isn’t going to stud this year with connections chasing the one “mega” race to elude him, the iconic NZ Cup at Addington in November.
Another campaign also brings races like the Hunter Cup, Miracle Mile and maybe even another Inter Dominion into play.
Leap To Fame will turn eight at the end of the year, but his runs say he’s at least as good as ever.
Trainer Jason Grimson thinks he can convince owner Mick Boots to change his plan to retire Captains Mistress at the end of the season to become a mum.
“Yep, I think she’ll race for another year. The Miracle Mile is a race I’d love to win,” he said.
Fascinatingly, Grimson also mentioned the picturesque Kaikoura Cup in NZ’s South Island as an ambition.
Kaikoura is eight days before the NZ Cup, meaning that could well be the next time we see Captains Mistress and Leap To Fame clash.
The score is 1-1.
We need at least one “decider”.
