Greg Sugars readies to Eclipse Inter Dom – the “number one test”

With more than 50 Group 1 wins as a driver, Greg Sugars is quickly ticking off harness racing’s biggest and best races from his bucket list.

But there’s one major feature he wants more than any other that has so far escaped his grasp.

It’s the SENTrack Inter Dominion Pacing Championship, and Sugars sees this year’s series as a wonderful opportunity to finally prevail in the sport’s most demanding test of horse, trainer and driver.

The 38-year-old claimed the Inter Dominion trotting crown when he steered Emmett and Richard Brosnan-trained Maori Law to victory in the grand final at Menangle last December, but now has eyes for Australasia’s pacing pinnacle.

“It’s always been an aim for me,” Sugars said.

“I grew up in a time where it was clearly the headline race. It was worth the most money, it was the biggest carnival and for a lot of harness racing people it was their annual holiday because they went every year wherever it was. It was just held in such high regard.

“The climate of harness racing has changed a little bit now, but for me it was the way I was raised. That was top of the tree. For mine, it’s still the number one test of horses, horsemen and horsewomen.”

Sugars rates gun four-year-old Better Eclipse as his stable’s leading chance over Triple Eight in the pacing division, and has recent acquisition Just Believe the pick ahead of One Over All in the trotting ranks.

It’s a wonderful four-pronged attack on the series for Sugars and his wife Jess Tubbs, who share training duties at their stunning property in Myrniong, about an hour west of Melbourne.

They have poured a huge amount of time and money into the facility, with Tubbs even stepping aside from a successful career with The Meadows greyhound racing club to focus full-time on the horses.

It has been hard work, but the rewards – including seven Group 1 wins – have quickly followed.

“Jess was always involved in the training side of things, but now is 100 per cent involved and is here every day from start to finish. She’s given up her working life in the business world to do it,” Sugars said.

“We are completely invested in this place and it’s great that we are getting some runs on the board to say we made the right decision hopefully.”

Sugars will drive all four of the stable’s runners in Saturday night’s opening round of Inter Dominion heats at Ballarat, with further qualifiers to be conducted at Shepparton (November 29) and Geelong (December 3).

Horses accumulate points depending on finishing positions across the heats, with the leading 12 at the conclusion of the qualifiers securing a place in respective pacing and trotting grand finals at Tabcorp Park Melton on December 10.

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