Kylie Sugars says going to the races isn’t the same anymore.
As the 42-year-old trainer prepares to have two runners – What A Serve and Van Nostrand – in one of the feature races at Melton on Saturday night, the first person who would normally wish her luck won’t be there.
Sugars admits it is still “unthinkable” her younger brother, champion driver Greg Sugars, has gone. Greg died suddenly in his sleep aged just 40 in April, this year.
“You can’t begin to explain the shock and how it floored us,” Sugars said of herself and parents, Ross and Kerry.
“I don’t know how to put it into words. For the best part of 38 years, Greg and I saw each other or spoke every day. He was a constant presence.
“We were close as kids but exceptionally competitive with each other at the same time.”
Sugars said training a team of 12 horses at Shepparton with her parents has been a crutch through the hardest of times.
“That’s the thing about horses, they rely on you day in and day out and you have to turn up and look after them,” she said.
“Life goes on and so we must, but by far the hardest time now is going to the races and Greg’s not there, because that’s where I’d always look forward to catching up with him.”
Sugars has quarter of her 12-horse stable racing at Melton on Saturday night. What A Serve and Van Nostrand in the Vicbred Platinum Homegrown 2YO trotting final and pacer Momentum Shift in race five.
“Van Nostrand is the best of my two runners in the Homegrown. He had a few ‘gaiting’ issues at his first start, won well at his second run and then was a tough run outside the leader last time,” Sugars said.
“It’s not too bad being drawn out the back (gate 12). He’s got a bit of bottom and some dash, too.
“I’ve put Kerryn (Manning) on What A Serve. She’s driven a bit for me before. She (What A Serve) has got a bit of early speed and keep running handy races, but this will be tough.”
Momentum Shift was rewarded for a string of consistent runs with a last start win at Shepparton.
“He deserved that one. He’s been knocking on the door,” Sugars said. “He just keeps drawing wide and has again this week (gate six), but he’s a bit of sit-sprinter and has a chance if gets the right sort of run.”
The move to Shepparton two years ago for Sugars, mainly to train for owner Frank Jessup, has seen her take on the biggest team of her career.
“I’m used to having three or four horses in work at most, but Frank said we could train some of our own, along with his and we’re up to a dozen. Eight are Frank’s and there’s four of mine,” she said.
“It’s just Mum, Dad and me, a family operation.”
It’s been Sugars’ busiest and most successful season with 128 starters netting 16 wins and 33 placings.
The stable star has been three-year-old trotter Ijustcalledtosay, who won his first three starts in May and June and has gone on to stretch to that to five wins, including a heat of the Need For Speed series, and four placings from 16 starts.
PHOTOS: Bronte Nieuwenburg
