Trots Centre: Sugars looking for Warragul Triple treat

Triple Eight’s raid on the Apple Isle never went according to plan, with the former Kiwi’s failure in the Tasmania Cup blamed on a viral infection.

But after a short rest, the exciting import is ready to rock and roll once again and will line-up in a quality renewal of The Downtowner Warragul Pacing Bowl Cup this Sunday.

The six-year-old has raced just four times for Myrniong trainer Jess Tubbs, with a more than respectable sixth in the Del Re National A.G. Hunter Cup behind Lochinvar Art followed by a solid fourth in the Terang Co-Op Pacing Cup two weeks later.

The trip across Bass Strait started well with a dominant victory in a heat of the Tasmania Cup on March 7, but ended badly in the final six days later when he dropped out to run second last.

“He obviously had a hard run as well, which was going to make life hard to win as it was, but I knew well and truly probably a lap out that the horse was a spent force and wasn’t himself,” Tubbs’ husband and leading driver Greg Sugars told Trots Talk.

“Thankfully, he pulled up with a problem that wasn’t too serious that we couldn’t get on top of and rectify, so that was the positive out of it.”

Sugars said the gelding’s health had been monitored by regular blood tests and was confident Triple Eight would acquit himself well in this weekend’s $35,000 feature despite a tough back row draw.

“We were pretty lucky that nature just took its course and got on top of it, and he didn’t have to have too much down time before he bounced back,” Sugars said.

“I’m pretty happy with him. He’s had that little bit of time off before he was back in action and hasn’t had a trial or a run since Tassie obviously, so he may just be slightly short of 100 per cent. He’s probably going to need the run a little bit, but I see it’s only a small field. I think there is only nine starters in it.

“Being drawn out the back over 2600m is probably not as bad as what it possibly could have been around Warragul.

“It looked a reasonable quality sort of field with no standouts from what I could see from the initial nominations, so I think if the horse runs close to his best, he’s going to run a very competitive race, but we do expect the run to improve him as well.”

Triple Eight, who is now part-owned by an Australian group that includes the ‘Pacing Priest’ Father Brian Glasheen, won 12 races in New Zealand before being transferred to the care of Tubbs and Sugars.

The son of American Ideal will come up against a quality field of rivals on Sunday, including the horse that Sugars drove to victory in the 2017 Warragul Pacing Bowl Cup, Mister Wickham. “The Candyman” also won the race back in 2011 with Johnorama.

Earlier on Sunday’s card, Well Defined chases a fifth win in the Maori’s Idol Trotting Championship when he lines up in the Eddie Evison Memorial Warragul Trotters Cup.

Kate Hargreaves’ stable favourite will battle the likes of recent Crystal Bucket winner Stress Factor (Brent Lilley), Mallee Bull Trotters Cup champion Mass Destruction (Brent Lilley) and last-start runner-up Daquiri (Thomas Parnell) in the $14,500 standing start feature over the 2627m trip.

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