Sweet Melton moments and milestones

The rise and rise of harness racing’s Larajay Farms was not only reinforced at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight but has also produced an outstanding return for a trots-supported charity.

Replete in the Pacing For Pink silks, Greg Sugars amassed victories number 23, 24 and 25 for the month, benefitting the campaign that raises money and awareness to help the McGrath Foundation support those with breast cancer.

The reinsman was a dominant front runner in winning with La Captain, Momentslikethese and Triple Eight at Tabcorp Park Melton tonight, with each victory drawing a Pacing For Pink donation from Geelong Harness Racing Club members.

And Sugars announced on TrotsVision that he and wife Jess Tubbs wanted to go a step further, with the stable donating $1000 to the fundraiser after tonight’s success.

“It’s been a sensational month,” Sugars said. “The Pacing For Pink campaign is phenomenal and thankfully I’ve had a sensational month and so has our stable.

“Jess and I did say leading into tonight we had a few good chances, if we were able to get the score on the board … we’re happy to donate an extra $1000 to Pacing For Pink campaign. It’s been a terrific month not only for me as a driver but for the stable as well, so more than happy to put the hand in the pocket and add a bit more to the tally.”

La Captain (Captaintreacherous) kicked it all off in the first when he continued his vastly improved season by adding the richest win of his career in the Group 3 Alabar Vicbred Platinum Metropolitan Pace Final.

It’s his sixth victory in seven starts this year, having saluted in only three of his preceding 26 outings, and Sugars said it had been very rewarding to see the penny drop.

“To see him stand up and be counted in that quality of a field is really pleasing moving forward,” he said.

Sugars was also rapt to have been able to notch a number in Momentslikethese’s (Art Major) win column with a comfortable all-the-way victory in the DNR Logistics Pace, her first success since the Queensland Oaks in July 2021.

“She’s run into some ripping fields but hasn’t been able to win, so to get her back in the winners’ list for such a great group of owners is a big weight off our shoulders,” Sugars said.

“(The four-year-old mares’ class) is just phenomenal and we’ve seen the last couple of months a lot of horses like Momenslikethese, who have been well and truly in the shadows of a lot of the headline acts … now starting to come through their grades and shine themselves.

“Shapes for a very bright future in our open mares racing as they get older and hopefully into the breeding barn later on to further strengthen the industry.”

The winning for Tubbs and Sugars then continued with Triple Eight (American Ideal) maintaining his march towards Queensland’s winter carnival with a demolition job in the TAB Bold David Free For All, with his reinsman noting “he did that pretty comfortably tonight”.

Triple Eight was worked to the front ahead of early leader Code Black and then ripped home in a 55.4-second first half to win by seven metres from Bulletproof Boy.

“He’s been a wonderful horse to us for the last 12 months or so,” Sugars said. “It was a bit of a rocky start to his campaign when he first joined our team, things weren’t looking all that well at one point of time but he came back from a break really well last time around and performed really well in some big races. So far so good for this preparation.”

The night also had it’s fair share of high drama with Relentless Me suffering a gear failure in the Pryde’s EasiFeed 3YO Pace.

Reinsman Jack Laugher had made a play for the lead when he had to signal for help owing to a loose rein, with Clerk of the Course Brian Lincoln rallying brilliantly down the back straight to secure and slow the horse.

The field had slowed behind Relentless Me until he had been safely pulled from the race and while they battled to the line, with Elegant winning for Geoff Webster and Anthony Butt, stewards declared it a ‘no race’.

HRV deputy chief steward Grant Adams joined TrotsVision to detail the situation:

It was also a night to remember for reinsman Mark Pitt, who not only produced another winning double but also brought up his 500^th career victory.

Pitt steered Emma Stewart’s very smart and well bred Major Celebrity (Art Major) to victory in the TAB Sapling Stakes, the two-year-old colts and geldings’ headliner a great bout between the winner and Aaron Dunn’s impressive Little Louie.

While the latter produced a bold challenge, Major Celebrity had the answers to win by 1.2 metres and bring up Pitt’s milestone.

“It’s always good to get one winner, let alone to drive 500,” Pitt told TrotsVision. “To be driving winners like I am today it’s just a dream come true.

“(Major Celebrity’s) still very green in this stage of his preparation but when he works out (how) to be a racehorse I think he’s going to be a pretty nice one.

“I haven’t driven many of the two-year-olds colts at this stage, but I would say he’s at the top of the tree. He was a lot better tonight than he was at his previous start, going into the future there will be some bigger races for him.”

For complete Melton Saturday race results, click here.

by Michael Howard, for HRV