Injury setback for champion trotter

Champion Aussie trotter Just Believe’s (Orlando Vici) NZ campaign is over and his harness racing future in limbo after an injury setback.

The globetrotting superstar, who boasts 38 wins and over $2 million in prize money, is returning home due to “a few issues”.

Given Just Believe is a rising nine-year-old, any setback is very concerning.

Trained at Myrniong in Victoria by husband and wife, Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs, Just Believe had earned comparisons with the greatest trotters of all time given his feature race rampage over the past two-and-half years.

In a social media post, Tubbs and Sugars revealed: “A bit of a disappointing update to share, but our man Harry (Just Believe’s stable name) will be heading home next week … so we can properly assess a few issues that he is currently dealing with.

“Harry’s welfare will always be paramount and a rest of what the Dr (sic) has ordered for now.

“He’s loved his time in NZ and his Dominion (Trot) win is one we will never forget!”

Just Believe’s Down Under dominance saw him earn an invite to the iconic Elitlopp Trot in Sweden in May, last year. He struck trouble on the home bend and galloped.

But the gelding showed he was genuinely world class with two subsequent placings against some of the world’s best trotters in Sweden.

Remarkably, since returning from Sweden late last year, Just Believe has raced 23 times in Australia and NZ for 20 wins and three seconds.

He scored one of the most significant wins of his career in the Group 1 Dominion Trot at Addington on November 12, then did a power of work and finished a brave second to local star Oscar Bonavena in the Group 1 NZ Trotting Free-For-All three days later.

Just Believe was being set for another Group 1 win in the National Trot at Auckland’s Alexandra Park on New Year’s Eve.

Tubbs and Sugars opted to continue campaigning their stable star in NZ rather than chase an unprecedented third successive win in the current Inter Dominion trotting series in NSW.

Given his age, this setback raises doubts over his racing future and, at the least, puts a big question mark next to majors like the Great Southern Star at Melton in February.

Just Believe’s earnings of $2,031,345 put him second only to the mighty Lyell Creek ($2,256,724) as the richest all-time Australasian trotter.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing New Zealand