In a thrilling display of dominance, Just Believe has today become the first Australian-trained horse in 41 years to win the Dominion Trot at Addington.

The last Australian horse to win this prestigious event was the Graeme Lang-prepared Scotch Notch in 1983.

The Dominion Trot, a race that has long been one of the premier events in New Zealand harness racing, attracts some of the best trotters from around the country. But today, the Jess Tubbs-trained gelding did Australia proud with a brilliant performance, accompanied by a perfect drive from Greg Sugars.

“He was the best horse in the race, and we took all luck out of the equation and drove him that way,” Greg Sugars said about Just Believe’s 10th Group 1 victory.

“Quite often he’s quite relaxed when he is in front. He travels better in the run when he’s outside of one. But off the back straight, I had a good look around to see where the main dangers were, and he was travelling well, so I said, ‘Go, boy! Catch us if you can,’ and he powered away.”

"There's a massive team at Larajay Farm - not only the people who work there and support us, but also those who have helped us along the way in various ways. We want to thank everyone who's helped us get as far as we have."

Arcee Phoenix (4th), One Over All (5th), and Kyvalley Hotspur (15th) also made Victoria proud in this event.

If all goes well, Just Believe will be back on Friday for the Group 1 Livamol New Zealand Trotting Free-For-All Mobile Trot.

Picture - Harness Racing New Zealand