Horror draw for defending champion

QUEENSLAND pacer Leap To Fame will need to be every ounce of the superstar he is touted if he is to win Saturday night's A G Hunter Cup in Melton.

Aiming to become just the fifth champion to retain his title since the Cup's inception in 1949, Leap To Fame has drawn the inside of the second row in the $250,000 Group One.

If that's not bad enough, the Grant Dixon-trained son of Bettors Delight faces a stellar cast of opponents.

A brilliant winner of last season's edition, Leap To Fame will attempt to join Sheffield Globe (1961 and '62), Monara (1973, and ’74), Pure Steel (1977 and ’78) and Blossom Lady (1994 and ’95) as the only consecutive Cup winners.

"The draw has certainly made it tough," Dixon said. "It has certainly given me a lot to think about for the rest of the week."

Scoring first-up from a 12-week break at Albion Park on January 18, Leap To Fame proved too good in the Casey Classic in Melton last Saturday night.

"He has come through his run the other night in perfect condition," Dixon said. "He improved between his two starts this time in and will be better again in the Cup, which he will need to be!"

Despite his draw, Leap To Fame is a $2.20 TAB Fixed Odds favourite, with his older half-brother, Swayzee considered the main danger at $4.20.

Winner of his last six starts, including the Victoria and New Zealand Cups, Swayzee will begin from gate 11.