By Adam Hamilton 

If you loved what you saw of Leap To Fame at Cambridge last year, he went even better at Cranbourne last night.

The 63rd win of his 81 start career was his best yet.

Leap To Fame sat outside, did all the work, lifted when he looked beaten and wore down younger sensation and NZ Cup hero Kingman to win the $150,000 Group 1 Cranbourne Cup (2555m) in track record time.

The 1min55.1sec took 0.4sec off his Leap To Fame’s own track record.

But it was the way he did it, in a true Bonecrusher/Our Waverley Star clash, which turned heads,

Not to mention he also left another champion and arch-rival Swayzee languishing in his wake.

Kingman beat Leap To Fame at their first three meetings, but Leap To Fame has stamped his patch winning the past two.

While he led throughout to beat Kingman in last week’s Ballarat Cup, sitting outside him to win last night was astonishing.

The win also keeps alive Leap To Fame’s quest to win Victoria’s new $1 million bonus.

That was the second of four wins he needed to bank the bonus, meaning he only needs to add next Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Kilmore Cup and the $250,000 Group 1 Hunter Cup a week later.

Even Leap To Fame’s modest trainer-driver Grant Dixon was buzzing after the latest win.

“He felt super the whole way tonight, he has for the last two weeks at home and at the races, to be honest ,” he said.

“Kingman made a real race of it, which was huge after the problems he’d had on the way to the track, but to sit outside him and win was incredible.

“I wasn’t actually sure I’d got there on the line until the numbers went up.

“Trista (Dixon, wife) and I have just been so happy with how he’s been handling the racing. He’s been pulling up and eating so well after the runs.

“He’s showing it in his performances; he’s really standing up.”

Dixon confirmed Leap To Fame would back-up at Kilmore next Saturday to continue to chase the $1 million bonus.

“That’s why we came down here early and, as I’ve said, as long as we can win the bonus, we’ll keep chasing it,” he said.

“It’s easier to do that with him that most horses because he just thrives on the hard racing/

“As a rule, he bounces out of his races and he’s looking for another fight straight away. As long as he’s the same in the next day or so, he’ll be at Kilmore.”

Kingman’s fighting second was more meritorious considering the drama he endured on the way from Shepparton to Cranbourne.

Caretaker trainer Nathan Jack’s float had issues and they were stranded on the side of the road for more than two hours before getting alternate transport to the track.

Champion trotting mare Keayang Zahara added to the greatest night of harness racing Cranbourne has hosted when she topped the $1 million winning her 12th Group 1 in the $75,000 Cranbourne Trotters’ Cup.

It was her 23rd win from 24 starts and means she only has to add the $250,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star at Melton on February 14 to win the new $500,000 trotting bonus.

Champion driver Cam Hart is mesmerized by former star Kiwi filly Captains Mistress.

The four-year-old staked her claim for the tag as Australia’s best mare when she destroyed a hot field in the $50,000 Group 3 Angelique at Cranbourne last night.

Captains Mistress led throughout to win by 18.3m in a scorching 1min53.7sec mile rate for 2080m.

It took a staggering 1.7sec off the track record and Captains Mistress ran an unheard of 53.1sec last half (splits of 25.9 and 27.2).

She left champion mare Eye Keep Smiling and another superstar mare, Steno, languishing.

Hart said: “She’s the best mare I’ve driven.”

He added: “When she ran a 25 quarter at Menangle I said to Jase (Grimson, trainer) it felt like she could go 24sec. She runs speed so easily.”

Reclusive owner Mick Boots made a rare trackside appearance for the win.

“That mare Luke has got (Eye Keep Smiling) is a champion and I thought she’d be too good, but this mare proved me wrong so I’ll take that,” Boots said.

“Nathan Williamson picked her out for me as a yearling, so I’ve got him to thank for her.”

Captains Mistress has now won all three Australian starts for Grimson by an remarkable aggregate of 55.1 metres. That’s an average of 18m each win.

“She’ll be back here (Victoria) in two weeks for the (Group 1) Queen of the Pacific and then Jase is aiming at the Chariots Of Fire,” Hart said.

“The way she’s going, she’ll be very hard to beat in both, including the Chariots, and very few fillies can do that.”

Asked about a possible Miracle Mile tilt, Hart added: “Look, the Chariots is a big enough target for now, but I guess if she happened to win that well, then I guess Jase would have a look at a Miracle Mile.”