Photo: Dan Costello
Leviathan owner Kevin Seymour has dismissed speculation Leap To Fame's New Zealand trip would be aborted.
Talk escalated over the weekend after the champion pacer's fantastic second to Don Hugo in the Miracle Mile.
But Seymour today confirmed the trip was a goer and Leap To Fame would, as previously indicated, go early to have a lead-up run in the Waikato Flying Mile at Cambridge on March 28.
"We have had a bit to weigh-up, but he's going to NZ," Seymour said.
"We'd originally planned to get him back home for a few days after the Miracle Mile, but he came through it well and Grant (Dixon) decided to keep in Sydney at Robbie Morris' place.
"He'll stay there and fly from Sydney to Auckland in plenty of time to settle in and get ready for that lead-up race at Cambridge."
Leap To Fame's NZ trip is much-anticipated after two previous trips across the ditch - for last year's The Race by Grins and the NZ Cup - were both aborted.
"It's important to us he goes to NZ and people get to see him in the flesh over there," Seymour said.
"We were especially disappointed when we had to cancel that NZ Cup trip so close to him going across late last year.
"Yes, it's a big trip, but now he's come through the Miracle Mile well, our focus turns to Cambridge."
Leap To Fame narrowly failed to successfully defend his Miracle Mile crown last Saturday night.
The six-year-old did the work outside leader and winner Don Hugo and went down fighting by 1.2m in a slick 1min48.4sec mile.
It's his second defeat in as many big major races so far in 2025, which adds to the importance of the Race by betcha.
