Greg Sugars was front and centre during an action-packed hour of harness racing at Melton on Friday night.
Sugars was first past the post aboard One Over All in the R C Freestone Trotters For All only to lose the race in the stewards’ room after a protest from Nathan Jack on the runner-up Visionary was upheld.
Sugars conceded the margin of a short half head wasn’t in his favour of keeping the race.
“My horse did duck in during the last 30 metres and the closeness of the margin was always going to make it interesting,” Sugars said.
“Nathan (Jack) didn’t stop driving his horse and it had its chance to run us down, so I didn’t think it affected the result but if the stewards are consistent then I’ll cop it every day of the week.”
Sugars partnered the $2.10 favourite Better Eclipse in the VHRC Caduceus Classic 30 minutes later.
The Jess Tubbs-trained pacer sat parked outside the leader and main danger Bulletproof Boy ($3.40), and the pair drew clear in the home straight to fight out the finish with Better Eclipse holding off his rival by a short half head.
Sugars returned home from Sydney delighted with Better Eclipse’s effort to finish on the heels of the placegetters in last week’s Group 1 Len Smith Mile.
“I was rapt with his run in the Len Smith Mile as it was a pretty ordinary run race for Menangle with a couple of 28-second quarters before it being a dash for the last 400 and those back in the field virtually had no hope,” Sugars said.
“So to finish within five metres of the winner was pretty pleasing.”
Sugars acknowledged the performance of Bulletproof Boy as a gallant runner-up in the Caduceus Classic.
“I’ve seen enough of Bulletproof Boy lately to know that he would keep rallying, so it was no surprise that he came again in the straight,” he said.
Sugars is hoping that the son of Betterthancheddar can go two places better in this year’s Victoria Cup after finishing third behind Rock N Roll Doo and Honolua Bay in the race last year.
“It’s shaping up as one of the better Victoria Cups in recent years with all the main players stepping up at the moment,” he said.
“Better Eclipse may have one more run prior to the Victoria Cup, but we are happy where he is at the moment.”
Controversy continued half an hour later when stewards upheld a second protest within an hour when they amended the placings in the Betavet 3YO Pace.
Louie Lou I was first past the post but was relegated to second place after stewards found in favour of driver Mark Pitt, who lodged a protest after finishing runner-up across the post on Oliver Dan.