Superstars collide as the action heats up Across the Ditch
Across the Ditch • January 30th, 2026 12:11 PM • 5 min read
Adam Hamilton, Jared Timms and Nick Quinn preview a huge week of Australian racing, headlined by Cranbourne’s superstar harness clash and Group Ones.
Harness Racing - Adam Hamilton
Another week and another clash of superstars in Australia on Saturday night.
This time the spotlight is on Cranbourne where Leap To Fame, Kingman and Swayzee will all meet in the same race for the first time.
The trio has met each other, but never all three together.
Between them, they have won 110 races and banked almost $A8.3 million.
Leap To Fame snared his first win over Kingman in four clashes when he worked to the front and smashed the clock winning last Saturday night’s $100,000 Gr.2 Ballarat Cup.
He blazed his last mile of the long 2710m in an unthinkable 1min51.7sec.
Kingman found the task of sitting outside him too hard, especially when he hung badly on several turns, and wilted late for fourth.
But the draws, at least on paper, favour Kingman at Cranbourne. That’s why he’s been backed from $1.80 into $1.60.
Just as he did when he led throughout to win the Shepparton Cup last Saturday week, Kingman has the pole and looks a very likely leader.
Leap To Fame, who has gate four this week, had to sit outside him at Shepparton and tried hard, but had to be content with a well-held second.
Swayzee adds a new and fascinating dimension this week.
Not only has Swayzee beaten Leap To Fame twice before, but he is 1-1 in two clashes with Kingman.
The draw hasn’t helped Swayzee this time. He has gate seven, which is outside the front in the small but elite seven-horse field.
What tactics will Cam Hart adopt on Swayzee from out there?
The champion stayer has been at his best in front or driven tough outside the leader, like he was returning to peak form when he crushed Don Hugo in the Goulburn Cup last time.
What will Grant Dixon’s plan on Leap To Fame be from gate four? Will he want to sit outside the leader or could he be driven with a trail on the back of Swayzee for a rare time in his remarkable career.
Would Luke McCarthy even consider taking a trail on Kingman if the big guns made a line of three early or in the middle stages.
And then there is the veteran giant-killer, 11-year-old Bulletproof Boy, who has drawn two and will almost certainly drop straight onto Kingman’s back.
He’s trained at Cranbourne, has beaten both Kingman and Leap To Fame in recent runs and has the draw to be very dangerous.
It’s a very different story with the $75,000 Gr.1 Cranbourne Trotters’ Cup where the amazing Keayang Zahara should continue on her winning way.
She made it 22 wins from 23 starts in last Saturday night’s Ballarat Trotters’ Cup and is the $1.05 to beat a slightly easier field from gate four at Cranbourne.
Greyhound Racing - Jared Timms
A huge week of greyhound racing in Australia looms as we’re treated to black type in several states.
On Saturday night, Group One action returns to Wentworth Park in Sydney for the first time in 2026, as both the National Futurity and National Derby Finals are run and won.
Having produced names like Fernando Bale and Wyndra All Class, both races often feature as the launchpad for chasing royalty.
The National Futurity Final comes up Race 6 and features the likes of Magic Bandit, Hotshot Lily and Magical Ang, while the National Derby Final will be contested as Race 7 is headlined by the exciting King Of Gods.
On Monday, all eyes will be on Tasmania for the Gr.2 Launceston Cup Final, featuring many of the Apple Isle’s best chasers.
Appenzell set the pace as the fastest qualifier and trainer Michael Stringer is confident the dog can convert that performance into a featured victory.
“He’s an exceptional dog, and his time was certainly and improvement over his previous best of 39.42,” Stringer said after the race.
“If he can replicate that performance in the final, I doubt there’s much that could seriously challenge him, especially with how well he handles this track.”
On Thursday (February 4th), Group One action also lights up The Q in Queensland with the running of the lucrative Gold Bullion Final.
Thoroughbred Racing - Nick Quinn
Trainer Mick Price has had all sorts of emotions associated with the Blue Diamond, but this year has a two-pronged attack.
In 2003, Price’s 2003 Blue Diamond Stakes winner, filly Roedean, was disqualified after testing positive to the prohibited substance Lignocaine. Following the positive swab, Price was fined $15,000 for bringing the horse to the racecourse for competition. The winner was subsequently amended to Kusi.
In 2012 he gained redemption, with brilliant filly Samaready prevailing with Craig Newitt in the saddle who bolted to a three length win as a $2.30 favourite.
This year he has two at the top of the market ahead of the two-year-old Gr.1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 21.
Guest House is a bay by Home Affairs who has a record of one win from one start, while Big Sky is a brown by Bivouac who also has a record of one win from one start.
Guest House trialled at Cranbourne on Monday, winning the trial by two lengths, proving he is ready to for his next start in the 1100m Blue Diamond Prelude on February 7.
Reflecting on Guest House’s trial, Price was over the moon with the colt and believes he will have no worries with the 1200m distance of the Blue Diamond.
“He's a good horse, isn't he?” Price said about Guest House on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up with host Gareth Hall.
“I think to win the big races, you've gotta get your timing right.
“We've been able to give him a break and bring him back just nice and slowly.
“The boys and girls at home are doing a good job, so his trial was good.
“Instructions were good pair of hands and finish off the last furlong - that's exactly what he did - so I think he's learning.
“I think he'll have no trouble with 1200m, so Saturday week he goes to 1100m and then into the Blue Diamond.”
Guest House is the $4.20 favourite with Ladbrokes to win the Gr.1 Blue Diamond, while Big Sky is the second favourite at $5.50.
