Champion sportspeople – and also those striving for greatness – must possess a quartet of critical qualities in their quest to elevate clear of competitors and contemporaries.

Roughly quantified, these traits include talent – obviously – which must be complemented by competitive instincts, intuitive intellect and, finally, a freakish, almost ignorant self-belief.

On Saturday night at Melton, and not for the first time in his fledgling career, 23-year-old reinsman Jack Laugher displayed all of these crucial characteristics.

When time was called on Tabcorp Park’s nine-race meeting, Laugher landed two successes, a double, as did his superstar contemporary Kate Gath.

But those that watch with wisdom, those that truly understand, will know that Laugher’s winning brace was as brilliant as they come.

And also, for good measure, the wins were madly contrasting in nature.

Initially, in the evening’s opening event, Jack went back, and by back we’re saying dead-last with a dominant, if drifting, popular elect named Captain Bellasario.

For those that wagered hard-won currency on Jayne Davies’ incredibly exciting four-year-old gelding, times felt tough in transit.

Typically, you see, favourites - especially those at very short quotes as Captain Bellasario was most of last week - are piloted with confidence even when aggressive tactics may not suit the steed.

Jack Laugher, however, doesn’t play by standard rules.

Armed with exceptional talent and an organically competitive nature, Laugher’s racing IQ – which is MENSA level – and self-belief constantly belie both his birth certificate and relative lack of big-race experience.

Despite the pressures of piloting the popular elect, Jack simply backed both himself and the horse he was driving.

He’d done this before with Captain Bellasario, at Beckley Park, about one year prior.

He knew what he had, and he never feigned to flinch.

Six races later, the stakes were somewhat greater.

Here, Laugher sat behind the vastly-improved Torrid Saint in the My Lightning Free For All, best known in media circles during the week as champion pacer Lochinvar Art’s comeback contest.

Unmoved by speculation and ceremony, Laugher launched Torrid Saint to an early lead – when most believed Boncel Benjamin would own that role – then waited, patiently, like a snake in the grass.

The moment Lochinvar Art, who was fresh and consequently vulnerable, ripped around to join Torrid Saint at the top end, Laugher released the shackles.

Intellectually, the burgeoning megastar believed that charging through the final four furlongs, rather than sitting silently, as so many drivers do, was the best way to beat the legendary Lochinvar Art.

And his hypothesis couldn’t have been more accurate.

Nobody doubts that strokes of genius such as these are impossible to execute without the aid of pacers harbouring talents like Torrid Saint and Captain Bellasario.

Nevertheless, they are strokes of genius, and intellect, and also natural courage.

For his part, Lochinvar Art lost no admirers whatsoever.

Laugher, however, must have added many to his list.

The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.