Speed queen versus the king of pacing in today’s NZ Free-For-All

Detailed summary

After winning the NZ Trotting Cup, Leap To Fame faces a far different challenge today.

Leap To Fame (centre) won the New Zealand Cup but isn't even favourite for the NZ Free-For-All back at Addington today. Photo / Ajay Berry

R10, 5.02pm: Azap Electrical NZ Trotting Free-For-All (G1), $100,000, 1980m mobile

R11, 5.38pm: Dunstan Sires’ Stakes Fillies Final (G1), $200,000, 1980m mobile

R12, 6.18pm: Hill Lee and Scott NZ Pacing Free-For-All (G1), $150,000, 1980m mobile

Three days after one of the greatest wins in New Zealand racing history, champion pacer Leap To Fame will attempt to do something more difficult at Addington today.

The magnificent Queensland pacer sat parked for the last two laps of Tuesday’s $800,000 Go Media New Zealand Cup and crushed leader Swayzee, before holding off Marketplace.

It was a win of heart, old-fashioned courage and guts. Pacing’s version of coming out on top in a cage fight.

But in today’s $150,000 Hill Lee And Scott NZ Pacing Free-For-All, he will have to try to outsprint a horse who is point-blank faster than him – Captains Mistress.

So the task won’t be as hard or physically demanding as his New Zealand Cup victory, it will be more difficult because Captains Mistress has every single thing in her favour.

Opening of the article, excerpted from NZ Herald. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.