This is a week to savor for Jess Tubbs and Greg Sugars.

As we head into another Inter Dominion, they are the story of the series.

It is both a fantastic achievement and the result of a huge commitment that the husband and wife from the rolling hills of Myrniong have four runners – pacers Better Eclipse and Triple Eight along with trotters Just Believe and One Over All - in the championships.

Sugars knows what it feels like to win an Inter Dominion, having driven Maori Law in last year’s trotting final for co-trainers Richard and Emmett Brosnan.

Of course, it would mean so much more to share it with his wife and everyone who helps around the stable for that matter.

Tubbs and Sugars have gone “chips-in” on harness racing.

It’s easy to say they were bred to, or destined to, with both being from strong, successful, and proud harness racing families.

“We’ve put everything we have into this property,” Tubbs said.

She’s not seeking appreciation, just stating a fact.

Tubbs did even more. She gave up a job she enjoyed and was good at - in marketing with The Meadows greyhound club - to focus on their growing stable.

Yes, that’s chips-in.

It’s proven an inspired move – at least on the score of results so far – with the stable enjoying huge success and Tubbs admitting to having put up the “house full” sign as more and more owners ask them to take new horses.

The stable is third on the Victorian state-wide and fourth on the metropolitan trainers’ premiership as we head towards the last month of the season.

And you can see why.

I visited recently to interview the couple and was mightily impressed by their property.

It’s different, maybe more like a thoroughbred property with its undulating landscape.

As the fog rolled-in late morning, Sugars said: “We didn’t have a lot of choice, but to adapt to the landscape with this place.”

And adapt they have.

The traditional training track is not quite traditional. It rolls up and down hills to the extent they are installing a viewing tower for owners who want to come and watch their horses work.

My mind immediately went back to my first visit to Peter Manning’s radical training track at Great Western about 25 years ago.

Then there is Tubbs and Sugars’ latest addition, the straight track. It rises a remarkable 40 metres or so over about 900m. That’s a serious incline.

All of that means extra work.

“All horses handle it differently and you have to find what’s right for them,” Tubbs said.

Back in the Knight Pistol days, I went to Sweden and first saw a straight harness training track. The best trainers swear by them, especially with trotters.

But I’ve never seen one with that sort of incline.

Tubbs knows exactly how steep.

“I’ve run it myself … the normal training track, too. If we’re going to ask the horses to work on it, then I think it’s only fair that I should as well to understand it,” she said.

As I pondered the uphill rise, Tubbs said working the trotters back down the straight hill was perhaps the most beneficial of all.

“It’s great for their balance. We think it’s really helped our trotters,” she said.

“They get the fitness going up the hill and then turn, come back down, get their breath back but get plenty of benefits from coming back down the hill as well.”

It makes sense. Think about walking – or running if that’s your go – down a steep hill. How you’ve got to maintain your stability and core strength.

So, who is the best of their chances to grab an Inter Dominion crown?

The betting markets say it comes down to Better Eclipse or Just Believe.

I’ll go Just Believe because there isn’t as much depth in the trotting series. He ran third last year when trained by the now-retired Mick Hughes and has gone to another level since joining Tubbs and Sugars.

He must love that straight track.

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.