Many magic moments at Larajay Farms

There’s a story behind every success in harness racing, and for Victorian trainer Jess Tubbs her first Group One victory has been just one of the highlights of an unforgettable week.

Tubbs and her husband Greg Sugars welcomed home their stable star Momentslikethese (Art Major – Mint Julep (Presidential Ball) this week, after her win in the Queensland Oaks last Saturday week.

But at the other end of the scale, at a Victorian country meeting on Friday, the first win in almost a year for one of the couple’s favorites, Lenard Ess, also brought its share of excitement.

“It’s all relative – whether it’s a big Group One or a Mildura Friday meeting, it’s not always just a financial thing,” Tubbs said.

“Every win always means a lot to the people involved, and all of the horses have a story behind them.

When you are with them every day, and work so closely with them, you do feel super proud of them whenever they do well – and Lennys’ story is definitely one that makes his wins special.”

The headline act at Larajay Farms, though, undoubtedly is Momentslikethese, a filly purchased by Alabar Farms from the yearling sales for $42,000 for a new syndication initiative.

“Brett Coffey and Alan Galloway bought her and another yearling at the sales, and then offered shares under the Alabar 2019 No 1 Syndicate in the hope that it would get more people involved in the sport,” Tubbs said.

“They approached Greg and I to train one of the horses, and how lucky are we that we have been able to have this journey with Momentslikethese?

“We’re rapt with what she has done for us, and it’s given some new owners an amazing ride (seven wins from 25 starts, $146,000), and hopefully an interest to stay in the sport in the future.”

At Mildura on Friday, the success of Lenard Ess (Village Jolt – Kano Phoebe (Troublemaker), named after Greg’s late grandfather, carried less of the fanfare, but plenty of emotion, nonetheless.

“Lenny’s mum labored for three days before he arrived, so things weren’t looking good and we were convinced the foal would be born dead,” Tubbs said.

“Dad and I took it in turns every hour on the overnight shift, getting up to check on her and it happened to be my turn when Lenny had finally arrived. I saw he’d been born, then when I saw his tongue move, I couldn’t believe that somehow, we had a live foal. I just sat down and cried.

“That wasn’t the end of it though. He had meconium impaction after he was born, then when he was gelded, of course that went wrong, and we had to rush him in for standing surgery.

“Then as an older horse he severed a tendon and the vet told us surgery gave us a five per cent chance of getting him back to the races. Greg and I knew it wasn’t a smart business decision – but one fairly expensive surgery later Lenny pulled through and with a lot of time and work and care, he got back to racing.

“All wins mean something, and all that happened to him means Lenny’s race wins are pretty emotional for a lot of people.”

Tubbs and Sugars have recently resumed the across-the-State treks from Myrniong, 75 km from Melbourne, to Mildura in the far north west. But the effort is paying off. At two meetings in July, Sugars bagged seven driving victories and Tubbs snared three wins and three placings from six starters at the track.

“They’re big days – for the last meeting I got up at two to make sure the horses had a feed before they got in the float, and Greg and Kerry (Greg’s mum) got home from Mildura about one the following morning,” Tubbs said.

“It’s a testament to how competitive Victorian racing has become, that you need to work so hard on placing your horses as best you can, so that’s what we’ve been doing.”

By Terry Gange for Harnesslink