Champ takes massive Leap outside comfort zone

By Adam Hamilton

Champion pacer Leap To Fame will take a surprise step right outside his comfort zone at Albion Park on Saturday night.

For just the second time in more than four years and 65 race starts, Leap To Fame will switch from mobile start to standing-start racing.

His only other standing-start race was on June 8 last year when Leap To Fame came off a 20m handicap to emphatically win the Flashing Red Discretionary at Albion Park over 2647m.

The six-year-old's task will be even harder this week off the maximum 30m handicap and the race being over the shorter 2138m trip.

Despite Leap To Fame winning first-up from a break at Albion Park last Saturday night, his trainer-driver Grant Dixon was moved to back him up quickly.

"It was a bit hard to assess things on such a wet track, but I felt he should have won a bit easier," he said.

"Trista I felt he could do with another two races before the Inter Dominion starts and that meant we really had to back him up this week.

"There was also the option of a mobile sprint race, but there are a few reasons we opted for the stand.

"He will get more conditioning from a race like this stand, especially over 2138m.