Triple Treat Blockbuster Weekend: Across The Ditch
Across the Ditch • June 6th, 2025 8:28 AM • 4 min read
Harness Racing - Adam Hamilton
THE biggest guns of the Brisbane Inter Dominion will strut their stuff this weekend.
Champion pacer Leap To Fame and reigning Inter Dominion winner Don Hugo will race at about 50 minutes apart at Albion Park and Menangle respectively.
Leap To Fame, who won narrowly but impressively first-up at Albion Park last Saturday, will make a surprise switch to standing start racing this week.
That’s a great sign for Kiwi fans hoping Leap To Fame will head across the ditch in November to chase the NZ Trotting Cup.
This will be just his second race in a standing start across 65 starts and more than four years of racing.
Leap To Fame’s only other standing-start race was this time last year when he came off a 20m handicap to win the Flashing Red over 2647m at Albion Park.
This week looks even more challenging given he has a 30m handicap and the race is just 2138m.
Dixon opted to back him up after feeling he needed the run more than expected when he won last week.
“He can run this week, then again back behind the mobile in two weeks (June 21) and then it’s another two weeks into the first round of (Inter Dominion) heats (July 5),” he said.
Don Hugo will have his first start since a tiring fourth to Leap To Fame in that epic Race by betcha at Cambridge on April 4.
The five-year-old will need to be on his game to overcome the outside draw (he will start from gate 10) in a 2300m free-for-all.
“He’s ready to go. He’s had a trial and a strong private workout at Menangle,” trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.
“He’ll have this run, back-up again next week and then I’ll give him a three week gap before the first round of Inter Dominion heats.”
Greyhound Racing - Jared Timms
Group 1 racing debuts at Queensland’s ‘The Q’ on Saturday night and trainers from up and down Australia’s east coast are brimming with excitement.
Boasts three tracks in total, The Q is set to revolutionise greyhound racing in both Queensland and Australia, and Saturday night’s Group 1 Flying Amy Classic officially raises the curtain on the $85 million complex.
NSW master trainer, Peter Lagogiane will prepare Summer Quinn for the feature race and can’t wait to be trackside.
“It is overwhelming what’s been achieved – greyhound utopia,” Lagogiane told The Greyhound Recorder.
“Racing is as safe and as clean as we’ve seen, and the complex overall offers and experience that is unrivalled. It gets you excited about going to the races again.
“I’ve been up there for a few weeks now and it won’t be easy to go home – really looking forward to Saturday night.”
Victorian trainer Jason Sharp is similarly thrilled to prepare Colac Kid for The Q’s maiden Group 1 feature.
“It’s Disneyland for greyhounds,” he said.
“The Q has stamped the future of Queensland greyhound racing for decades to come, it is just out of this word.
“The complex is the blueprint as to what other states should be looking to introduce.
“If we could win the first Group 1 there on Saturday night it would be something special.”
A talented field has been confirmed for the Flying Amy Classic Final and Victorian raider Gambella has opened a $4 favourite. Summer Quinn currently occupies the sixth line of betting at odds of $7, while Colac Kid is rated an $11 chance.
Thoroughbred Racing - Nick Quinn
The Group 1 Queensland Derby and G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup will now alongside the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on Saturday after last Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting was abandoned due to visibility concerns.
As a result it is a mouthwatering day for racing fans.
With the improving track conditions the Chris Waller trained Joliestar is a firming favourite, she was a breathtaking winner of the Newmarket handicap at Flemington in the autumn when heavily backed.
With the track drying out this will play right into her hands and she shapes as the one to beat.
Master trainer Chris Waller is yet to win a Kingsford Smith Cup, and alongside the Stradbroke Handicap, it is the only Group One race in Queensland – of which there are eight, that the 179-time Group One winning trainer has not yet collected.
One punter hopes that will change on Saturday with a bet of $1000 at $2.95 on Joliestar.
The fascinating runner is the second elect Giga Kick.
He was heavily backed in the Goodwood when appearing a weighted certainty, and while he did not run badly, the run left many experts pondering if his many injuries have led to him being not the horse he once was.
Should he go well and pull up soundly this weekend, trainer Clayton Douglas will consider running Giga Kick in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap two weeks later.
"He's nominated for the Stradbroke Handicap, the weights came out for that and he's got 58.5kg in that race" he said.
"He's weighted right up to his best in the Straddie, so we'll just have to get through Saturday and I'll make that assessment based on how he performs."
The G3 Fred Best Classic, which offers the winner a guaranteed spot in the G1 Stradbroke Handicap, was run on Wednesday with Spicy Martini saluting at double figure odds.
While it has had some name changes along the way, the Kingsford-Smith Cup has produced some magical moments.
In 2011 the greatest sprinter of all time contested the race.
Doomben was rocking in when the perfect Black Caviar came to town and carried on her winning ways.
The incredibly underrated Hay List made the superstar work, running her to two lengths with popular local Buffering in third
I doubt we will EVER see a stronger trifecta across the line in the race than that trio.
He may not have been as brilliant or as famous as Black Caviar, but in 2008 the iconic Apache Cat won the race.
Apache Cat was unstoppable in 2008, he headed to the sunshine state having won all three starts that year, all at Group 1 level.
The Lightning Stakes at Flemington, The Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley and the T.J Smith Stakes at Randwick.
Punters sent him around a as a $1.30 favourite and the beautifully faced galloper produced a workmanlike victory.
While in 2003 the locals were delirious with one of Queensland’s most loved horses, Falvelon, who conquered racing locally and abroad and he won this race, known as the Wyndham Estate Stakes in 2000 and in 2003.
His win in 2003 would be his final career victory before embarking on a stud career.
