Owning Leap To Fame ‘is like a magic carpet ride’

By Josh Spasaro

Owner of Leap To Fame, Kevin Seymour, sometimes feels like he’s in a dream when watching the champion harness racing horse go around.

The seven-year-old returns from a short nine-week break and will start from gate seven in race four over 1660 metres at Albion Park on Saturday night.

“Probably the best way to describe how we feel at the present time is like we’re on a magic carpet riding through the sky,” Seymour said.

“That’s the feeling that Kay and I get from having such a wonderful horse and having had such a magnificent racing career.

“He’s coming back after having a short spell and we’re expecting him to be in a reasonably forward position on his return to the racing track.”

The greatest standardbred in modern harness racing, Leap To Fame, has over $6.5 million in career prizemoney due to an incredible 72 wins from 92 starts.

His last start was a gallant runner-up finish to star mare Captains Mistress in the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship Grand Final over 2680 metres at Albion Park on July 18.

Seymour was full of admiration for the effort put in on that occasion with his stallion already a two-time winner of the Group 1 feature.

“I think probably the only way you could describe it was all heart. He had quite a few obstacles put in his way. He had to come from last to reach the champion mare,” he said.

“But, he was gallant in defeat and it was no shame to be beaten by a mare of that quality and the time was quite sensational, as well.”

A winner of the Group 1 NSW Derby at Menangle in 2022, there was much hype around the Bettors Delight and Lettucereason bay horse from early on.

Seymour established Egmont Park Stud near Toowoomba.

“Tobi Reath, who breaks in all our horses at the farm, said from the first day he put a bridle on him, he showed that little bit of promise that he loves in a horse,” Seymour said. 

“He was fairly confident that he had a nice one on his hands.”

Seymour revealed this week that Leap To Fame would target a stack of lucrative races before he retires in 2027.

Those races will include The Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 23 and the Group 1 Fremantle Cup a week later, as part of his first trip to Western Australia.

The NZ Cup in Christchurch on November 10, Blacks A Fake at Albion Park (December 5), Hunter Cup at Melton (February 13), Miracle Mile at Menangle (March 13) and Brisbane Inter Dominion Final at Albion Park (July 17) will be the others.

He will then be retired to stud next year, where there will be no shortage of interest in his services.

“At this stage we don’t know (where he’ll stand), but he’ll be highly sought-after and in demand,” Seymour said.

“You’d be expecting him to serve a really large book of mares.

“Once he finishes racing, stallions can make more money in the stallion barn than they can on the racetrack.”

Leap To Fame’s last win at Group 1 level was when he displayed unbelievable heart to hold off The Janitor in the Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 14.

Seymour said his much-loved stallion has been super-adaptable over his career.

“He’s got that extraordinary ability that you very rarely find in a horse. He can win over the sprint distance, the mile as you saw in the Miracle Mile and he can win over the longer distances in the Inter Dominions and races like that,” he said.

“He’s got all-round speed and he’s just a delight for Grant Dixon to drive.

“Grant’s in love with him. He’s certainly treated like royalty down at Grant’s place.”

Seymour said he could not wait to showcase his “idol” Leap To Fame to a Western Australian audience for the first time in April next year.

“All that we can say is we’re extremely proud of him. He’s the idol of the Seymour family and of the industry in Queensland,” he said.

“Over his career, he’s done such a tremendous job that it puts him at the forefront of Australia’s greatest horses of all time. He just keeps setting new records all the time.

“And, we’re very keen to show him off to the public. We take him to some of the outlying tracks in various states.

“We just agreed this week to take him to Western Australia. The west has never seen him race before and they’re extremely excited over there.

“There’s a buzz about Perth at the present time.”