Swayzee stepping up again

29 July 2026

ADAM HAMILTON 

THE old warrior isn’t done yet.

While Captains Mistress stormed to top seed in leviathan owner Mick Boots’ huge team of horses with that epic Brisbane Inter Dominion win, he revealed his champion stayer Swayzee was progressing well on the comeback trial.

The rising nine-year-old has raced 10 times this season (for three wins and five placings), but not since a labouring third to young Kiwi star Got The Chocolates in the Group 1 Messenger at Alexandra Park on May 8.

“He’s been back in (work) for about four weeks and seems well,” Boots said.

“We had some problems with him tying up in NZ. He actually tied up in that last run he had over there, which is really uncommon. He came off the track and he wasn’t right.

“We got him back home and gave him a good break.”

That’s why Swayzee missed the recent Brisbane Inter Dominion series, despite having been the most recent horse to beat Leap To Fame going into the series. He did that in the Hunter Cup in February.

Swayzee and Kingman are the only pacers to have beaten Leap To Fame three times.

While Swayzee’s progress sounds promising, Boots said it was still a wait and see situation.

“If he’s not 100 per cent when he gets further into his preparation, or Jason (Grimson, trainer) isn’t happy with him, he’ll be retired,” he said.

Swayzee famously won back-to-back NZ Cups in 2023 and ’24.

The gelding, who is an older half-brother to Leap To Fame, has raced 81 times for 33 wins, 23 placings and banked $2,631,143.

Along with the NZ Cup wins, he has won the past two Hunter Cups (2025 and ’26), along with the 2024 Victoria Cup and 2023 Blacks A Fake.

---

PHOTO: Stuart McCormick