Harness
Australian Harness Racing Preview: Saturday - 14th February 2026
A wide draw means champion pacer Leap To Fame will likely have to work and call on his trademark toughness if he is to land a $1million bonus by winning a second A.G. Hunter Cup at Melton on Saturday night.
The big money is on the line as part of the Summer of Glory series and with Leap To Fame having already won three legs he just needs the Hunter Cup to land the prize.
That task was made harder at the barrier draw though with the Queensland star coming up with barrier six, one from the outside of the front row.
Arch rival and defending champion Swayzee has drawn two which means the race could be a repeat of last year's epic cup when Swayzee led and Leap To Fame did all the work in the death seat, digging deep but going under by a head.
It's never easy to win a major with a tough run but Leap To Fame is one horse who has proven capable of doing just that and he has been at the peak of his powers of late with impressive and hard-fought wins over the last few weeks.
Particularly noteworthy was his Cranbourne Cup victory when he did it tough outside the leader Kingman and looked beaten but surged late to win.
It may take something similar to prevail on Saturday but he already has a Hunter Cup under the belt courtesy of his 2024 victory when he came from just one barrier lower and he looks to be in the right shape to do it again.
New Zealand's best pacer Republican Party could represent a threat after a big effort to get within 3m of Leap To Fame in last week's Kilmore Cup.
That was his first outing for more than five weeks so the hitout should have improved him.
He has mixed it with these rivals before including a close third in this race last year and from the ace draw he could stalk the leaders and be dangerous late.
Swayzee has had his problems since leading to win this last year but showed he still has the will to win with a fighting victory over reigning Miracle Mile champion Don Hugo in the Goulburn Cup last month.
Crucially he draws to find the front again and possibly easier than he did last year when he had to work to that position for the back row. He could be very hard get past.
The barrier has dented the hopes of last year's Victoria Cup winner Kingman but he overcame a tough draw to win November's New Zealand Cup and holds a 3-2 head-to-head record over Leap To Fame so could still find a way.
The race is unique in that heats are held early on the program with qualifiers coming back for the final later the same night.
Keayang Zahara has been a class above through the Summer of Glory series, leading and cruising home by more than 9m in the Cranbourne Cup last start and she should be able to work forward again from barrier five in heat one.
She is 10 from 10 at Melton and unbeaten at the distance so is impossible to tip against despite coming up against her talented stablemate Jilliby Ballerini in the opening heat.
She looks the only logical danger to her barn mate in the Great Southern Star but the ODM she picked up after breaking in the score-up last week and the subsequent second row draw won't make it easy.
Still she made it four in a row with a track record-breaking win in last week's Kilmore Cup and while yet to beat Keayang Zahara she has pushed her previously.
Watts Up Partytime has drawn the tougher heat and his second line draw is tricky but he won both a heat and the final of the Great Southern Star last year and he'll be better for last week's resuming win over a handy field at Menangle.
The Lee stable's two star mares may have drawn to clash in that heat but they still have a terrific chance of winning the second with the progressive Jilliby Dreamlover.
It took Jilliby Ballerini to halt the winning run of Jilliby Dreamlover in the Kilmore Cup but she was brave in fighting on for a 5m second. She won five in a row prior and is unbeaten over 1720m at Melton.
Dodging her star stablemates is a big bonus and gives her the chance to return to the winners' list.
Arcee Phoenix hasn't won since last July's Inter Dominion final but draws better than when midfield in the Kilmore Cup and had put together a string of placings prior. He should get his chance from the low barrier.
Im Bobby had to work hard when midfield last week but had been racing consistently prior including a third from this barrier to Keayang Zahara in the Group 1 Maori Mile at the circuit and distance last month.
The four-year-old has won all three starts since joining Jason Grimson and has shown terrific gate speed so should have the pace to offset the barrier.
She cruised to an 18m victory over Eye Keep Smiling in the G3 The Angelique last start so that mare will have to lift to turn the tables but she was widely regarded as the country's best last season and two starts off a spell will have her peaking so she could be the big improver.
Another key danger comes from within the Grimson yard with another former Kiwi – Tokyo Rose. She hasn't raced for five weeks but has been impressive in winning by big margins in two Menangle starts since crossing the Tasman, the latest from the same barrier she'll start from on Saturday.
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