Across The Ditch: Feature Racing coming in hot
Across the Ditch • October 10th, 2025 4:02 PM • 4 min read
HARNESS RACING - By Adam Hamilton
Victoria Cup night comes early to Melton on Saturday night.
While the revamped and stellar Victoria Cup week isn’t until Saturday week, so many of the stars of the night will be on display this week.
Heading the way, as he always does, is the great Leap To Fame, who sharpens up for the Victoria Cup in the Smoken Up Sprint (Race 6). He should just work across to the front and win.
TAB Eureka winner Bay Of Biscay needed a better draw than Leap To Fame to have any chance of beating him this week and it didn’t eventuate. It looks almost impossible for the young star to cause an upset from gate seven.
Brilliant young trotting mare Keayang Zahara makes her return to racing in the Group 3 Dullard Cup (Race 7, 2240m).
It’s her first start since suffering defeat for the first time when second to Susan Is Her Name at Group 1 level at Menangle on May 10. She’d won her first 15 starts.
Keayang Zahara faces a mighty task from an outside draw (gate seven) in a small but select field on Saturday.
Inter Dominion and TAB Trot winner Arcee Phoenix should be primed by two runs back from a break and gets a huge advantage with his early gate speed and barrier four.
The other key player is reigning Great Southern Star winner Watts Up Partytime (gate six), who is having his first run for new trainer-driver Chris Lang Sr.
The Melton card also boasts heats of the Victoria Derby and Victoria Oaks.
The Kiwi flavour is in the Oaks with Cran Dalgety’s Joyride (gate six) clashing with prepost Oaks favourite, the Emma Stewart-trained Let Her Roll (five), in Race 10.
Stewart also holds the key to the first Oaks heat (race three) with Beach Diamond (gate three) getting a crucial barrier edge over Queensland Oaks winner Soho Americano (five).
As usual, Stewart and co-trainer Clayton Tonkin are the biggest force in the Derby heats.
Fox Dan (gate eight) and Go Miki (three), who ran second and fourth respectively in the TAB Eureka, are key runners in heat one (Race 3). Sanchez (one), My Ultimate Barney (two) and Hesitate (nine) are the other hopes in the strongest heat.
In heat two (Race 4), Jason Grimson’s emerging Carousel winner Our Sweet Delight (two) and three-time Group 1 winner Fate Awaits (three) will head the betting.
Fate Awaits is bound for The Velocity at Addington next month after the Derby final.
The Stewart-trained pair Cigano (three) and Silver Pistol (four) are among the major hopes in heat three (Race 5).
San Paulo Simba (two), Strikem (six), Final Deadline (seven), Pick Up Elvis (eight) and Its Confidential (nine) are other hopes in another strong heat.
THOROUGHBRED RACING - Nick Quinn
The Group 1 action heads to Caulfield on Saturday for the Guineas over 1600 metres.
Some star three year-olds have won this race this century headlined by Anamoe (2021), The Autumn Sun (2018), All Too Hard (2012), Whobegotyou (2008), Weekend Hussler (2007), Wonderful World (2006) God’s Own (2005), Helenus (2002) and Lonhro (2001).
This year shapes as a top edition.
Master Kiwi trainer Chris Waller camp has two leading chances as he chases his fourth win in the great race.
Waller won last year's Caulfield Guineas with Private Life adding to his wins with Press Statement and The Autumn Sun.
Vinrock from the Matt Laurie stable is looking to bounce back after finishing unplaced as a $1.65 favourite in the Stutt Stakes won by West Of Swindon.
The alarming betting drifter is Nepotism, the Hawkes trained runner was the long time favourite when as short as $3.50, but is all the way out to $21 after coming up with a wide draw and only managing to finish 9th of 12 and 8th of 9 in two runs this preparation.
The Caulfield Guineas is not the only big race on Saturday, with Treasurethe Moment set to push her claims for the Cox Plate when she faces off with Buckaroo in a mouth watering clash in the Might And Power Stakes.
Treasurethe Moment had won nine races in a row before running an eye catching second to Pride Of Jenni last start in the Feehan Stakes.
