All-time great?! You better ‘believe’ it!

If there was even the slightest bit of doubt as to the champion qualities of the Jess Tubbs-trained harness racing superstar Just Believe (Orlando Vici), he answered every question and some with a powerful display in tonight’s $110,000 G1 National Trot at Alexandra Park.

The manner in which he won his seventh Group One was nothing short of outstanding, forced to sit parked outside last years winner of the race, Muscle Mountain, for two and a quarter laps whilst withstanding a 56.3 last half to showcase his superiority as the best square gaiter in the Southern Hemisphere.

“The race promised a good battle between the two and I’m thrilled we came out on top, but I’m so glad for everyone involved that we got a great spectacle,” said Sugars in the immediate aftermath.

The race eventuated as many expected with Ben Hope launching the Greg and Nina Hope trained star out of the gate and while Just Believe was forced to race from the chair, he very nearly managed to sneak down onto the markers which would have changed the complexion of the spectacle enormously.

Mark Purdon and Oscar Bonavena managed to kick up just in time as they swept past the showgrounds bend on the first occasion, and from there it was race on.

“I have been in two minds all week since the draw came out, I knew Muscle Mountain had superior gate speed, but my fella can get out pretty good when i do ask him. So I was in two minds whether to even try or to let him settle and just work it out in the second half of the race.

“At the time it felt like the right thing to do to go out with him for a bit, that didn’t quite work out so we just went back to plan b.

“He is the type of horse who just gives you full confidence as a driver, you know he can adapt to a number of different situations so you don’t have to come out with on the track with one plan which makes life a lot easier from a drivers perspective,” said Sugars.

Muscle Mountain was brave in the run home, but it was clear turning for home that the second richest Australasian trotter of all time had his measure. The Hope team can be proud in the fact they gave it their all in an attempt to defend the National Trot crown for the locals, and wont mind bowing their head to a champion like Just Believe.

While many of the connections of the kiwi trotters will be hoping he heads home, the promise of one of the sports great’s sticking around for the remainder of the Autumn carnival will bring people through the gait, or at least it should. For we are blessed with the presence of a generational trotting talent.

What he has achieved in two hemispheres over the course of the last 12 months is nothing short of remarkable and a testament to the horsemanship of the husband and wife team from Victoria.

“So many things can obviously go wrong with training horses and when you take them out of their comfort zone, everything goes up a notch,” said Sugars.

“Everyone back home is an amazing support crew, Jess is just amazing, I don’t know what else to say. We have a lot of great support from the owners back at home who have been very understanding of me not being able to drive the horses back at home while being away, its just been phenomenal,” he said.

JUST BELIEVE REPLAY

The winning margin for Just Believe was a length and a half with a further three lengths back to Oscar Bonavena who secured a cushy trip in the trail throughout.

The winning time for the 2700m mobile was 3:24.7, with a mile rate of 2:01.9.

It was career victory number 31 for Just Believe who has now amassed in excess of $1.5million in stakes, which pushes him over halfway in his pursuit of the great Lyell Creek’s $2.9 million Australasian earnings record.

For complete Alexandra Park results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink