Trots Centre: Sugars' eyes on prize as Breeders Crown kicks off

Greg Sugars pursuit of a ninth TAB Breeders Crown title begins tonight when the 23^rd running of the sires series kicks off with the two-year-olds heats at Ballarat.

Amid the most unusual of years comes the first season-defining test on Victorian soil this season for the nation’s leading two-year-olds, and if tonight’s fields are any guide Sugars is set to have live chances well into the November 21 finals.

“It certainly has been a challenging and different year that’s for sure,” Sugars told Trots Talk. “In previous years they’d be turning three now and most of these horses would have gone through a Breeders Crown campaign and be out spelling and then getting prepared for the early season three-year-old races.

“They’ve got a bit more maturity coming into this series than they would have previously, but having said that a lot of horses might lack a little bit in race experience – they wouldn’t have had as many starts as what they might have in previous season.”

Not to mention that participants and their prized fleet are being greeted by some spring sunshine, instead of the usual rain and occasional hail that has greeted the Breeders Crown during its August stagings.

“The way it’s come about with COVID wasn’t ideal, but I think the outcome has been very positive for the industry moving forward, it should be a very high-quality series as always.”

Sugars has a drive in six of tonight’s seven two-year-old heats, including two hopefuls that have to be considered among the leading chances to win a Crown.

It’s an achievement the reinsman enjoyed last year with two-year-old Maajida and previously with pacers Major Crocker (2014), Bellas Delight (2011), Sushi Sushi (2011) and My Missindependent (2006), and trotters Quite A Moment (2013), Rosalie Bay (2013) and Cruisin Around (2016).

Of tonight’s two-year-old pacers that Sugars will steer, Emma Stewart-trainer runners Beyond Delight in the fourth VHRC Caduceus colts and geldings heat and Treachery in the first Captain Crunch fillies heat are likely to carry plenty of favour through the series.

“Beyond Delight’s a very exciting horse, really good high speed and has been pretty impressive in his short career to date,” Sugars said.

“Pretty good to get him back off a good front row draw and he can use his good gate speed to hopefully work his way to the front and you would think he would take a power of beating. He’s a very exciting horse and I’m very pleased to be sitting behind him.”

And Treachery lost few admirers despite suffering her first defeat in The Big Screen Company Tatlow Stakes, with the daughter of Lovelist a $3.50 favourite with TAB.com.au to win the series.

“Treachery’s had an outstanding start to her career thus far and I’ve been very impressed with the couple of times I’ve sat behind her,” Sugars said.

“The speed she’s shown and the manner in which she was chasing down her quality stablemate (Ladies In Red) last week at Melton was very impressive, and again she hadn’t had a run for a few weeks, so you would think she would be improved by that run.”

Sugars’ Breeders Crown kicks off with Sumomentsomewhere in the night’s first heat, with the gelding trained by wife Jess Tubbs well poised for a forward showing.

“We are pretty positive about this horse’s future. He’s a lovely horse that seems to be getting better with every run,” Sugars said.

“He’s competed quite well behind some very nice colts of late and he’s progressing quite nicely.

“It’s obviously a very keenly contested series and there’s probably a few in it who are just a bit better than him, being 100 per cent realistic and honest, but he’s certainly a horse that we think has a good future and it would be no surprise to see him make his way into the money and progress through and possibly take a spot in the final, which would be fantastic.”

Sugars is also certain to be prominent when the series moves to Bendigo on Friday night for the three-year-old pacers, when he will reunite with Maajida among others, and then it’s over to the trotters for their heats on November 12 at Maryborough.

Among Sugars’ hopefuls there will be Mexicana, who he on Sunday steered to his first Volstead Redwood Classic win.

“A few nerves crept in before the start, but thankfully she had a good getaway, was able to miss any trouble and had a clean race from start to finish,” Sugars said.

“She was taking on all comers at the weekend and handled that quite well. Dropping back to fillies’ grade only will be right up her alley, you’d think she’d only benefit from that first up run here. Exciting times ahead for her.”

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