Stars set for another showdown at Albion Park
Adam Hamilton • December 5th, 2025 3:38 PM • 5 min read
Can Luke McCarthy beat Leap To Fame again this weekend?That’s the key question heading into Saturday night’s $A250,000 Gr.1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park.McCarthy has beaten Leap To Fame three times this year with two different pacers.The first was Don Hugo back on March 8 in the $A1 million Gr.1 Miracle Mile at Menangle.More recently, McCarthy’s new star Kingman upstaged Leap To Fame in both the $A250,000 Gr.1 Victoria Cup on October 18 and the $1 million NZ Cup at Addington on November 11.
While Kingman is having a break with a view to a Victoria raid in January/February, McCarthy is back for another shot at Leap To Fame with Don Hugo this week.
It must be said Leap To Fame has emphatically beaten Don Hugo in their three clashes since the Miracle Mile, including that memorable Race by Betcha at Cambridge back in April.But Leap To Fame’s recent form has many wondering if is down on his best or age is catching up with him as a rising seven-year-old.
He has been beaten in three of his past five starts.
Against that, Leap To Fame returns home to the track he loves at Albion Park. He hasn’t been beaten there since November 4, 2023. Yes, more than two years ago.
In that time, he’s won 23 races at “The Creek”, including two Inter Dominion finals and last year’s Blacks A Fake.
But a favourable barrier draw has punters backing Don Hugo to beat him again.
Since Monday’s draw, where Don Hugo drew to push for the lead from gate four and Leap To Fame drew the back row (gate 10), the market has changed dramatically.
Don Hugo has firmed from $3.20 into $2.50 and Leap To Fame has eased from $1.50 to $1.75.
It’s game on.
The other key player in the race is the emerging The Janitor, who won three on end before a monstrous second after sitting outside the leader in blistering time in last week’s Sunshine Sprint.His chances were dealt a blow with gate 12, but he has been kept safe at $5.
Adding to the star power of the night is brilliant young Victorian trotting mare Keayang Zahara, who is chasing her 10th Group One win from just 21 starts in the $A150,000 Great Square for three and four-year-old trotters.She is so good, the NZ TAB has her $1.04 favourite despite drawing the back row (gate nine).
