Harry stamps himself as Australasia’s best with emphatic $600,000 TAB Trot win

As far as harness racing contests go, tonight’s inaugural $600,000 TAB Trot Slot bared semblance to that of a Bledisloe Cup clash with a trans-Tasman showdown for the ages.

The four Victorian square gaiters, spearheaded by a phenomenal victory by Just Believe (Orlando Vici) and Greg Sugars, gave it to their New Zealand counterparts with a performance reminiscent of the Wallabies of old as the first four trotters home.

The Jess Tubbs trained son of Orlando Vici was sensational sitting parked outside a very good three time European Group One winner in Callmethebreeze (Trixton) to confirm his billing as the best trotter in the Southern Hemisphere and a champion of the sport.

“How good’s that aye,” said Sugars to his fellow Australian Ryan Phelan in the immediate aftermath of the richest ever Australasian trotting spectacle.

“It’s just amazing. We have said it all before with how special this horse is and to come here and prove that in this country is no easy feat, but he has stood tall tonight,” he said.

When the barrier draws were announced on Monday night, any home field advantage was soon lost with the Australian visitors drawn to take control of the race and that they did.

Ben Hope and Muscle Mountain (Muscle Hill) tried to undo the early speed maps of almost every pundit by attempting to fly the gate from barrier seven, but with Nathan Jack and Callmethebreeze punching out and matching stride from his inside, Hope was forced to concede the lead as the pair burned into the first bend.

Queen Elida (Love You) and an under the weather Chris Alford punched up from barrier one to assume the trail, whilst Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) was quickly around to take the chair from the Greg and Nina Hope trained son of Muscle Hill.

Nathan Jack was quick to put the anchors on after the early burn, but sensing the halt in tempo, Greg Sugars seized the initiative and had the Aussie champion Just Believe out and around them to get up and outside the wheel of the European import which was ultimately the winning of the race.

“It was kind of how I read the race with the speed early. I thought they would lead with Callmethebreeze if they wanted too and that all went to plan for us,” said Sugars.

“The fact that there wasn’t a lot of early pace, I didn’t hesitate to get round when we could. I wasn’t confident I could beat Callmethebreeze under that scenario because he did get it cheap early, but I knew I would be there for the fight,”he said.

Fight he did. The now eight-year-old son of Orlando Vici levelled up to Callmethebreeze upon entering the straight and set about wearing him down with every stride to take top billing by a neck and beat the Anton Gallino trained son of Trixton on his merits.

The expat kiwi and only mare in the field, Queen Elida took full aid of her inside ally to run stylishly up the passing lane and get within 3/4 of a length of the pair for third while Arcee Phoenix and Chris Svanosio were a further one a quarter lengths back for a creditable fourth having not been able to match them for speed early.

The enormity of what his charge had achieved was not lost on Sugars who despite being the best credentialed horse in the race knew he would have to very much earn his first victory away from home soil.

“Its amazing. Its going back a few years now when we saw Kerryn Manning bring Arden Rooney over here and win the New Zealand Cup and I just thought wow, cause it just doesn’t happen very often. With pacers, or trotters especially.

“It’s such a daunting task. So for Jess and I to have a horse capable of coming over here and taking out a feature race like this, it’s just phenomenal and as you say, Aussies running one, two, three, we have come so far,” he said.

With his wife at home in Victoria, Sugars was asked if he had a message for the trainer of the champ and nailed his response with a message that was both short and sweet.

“Well done babe, we did it!” he exclaimed.

Speaking on behalf of the successful Iona Trotter Syndicate who have the racing lease of Just Believe and raced in partnership with slot holders, Taylor St Racing Syndicate, was Malcolm Wells.

“This is one of the biggest thrills we have ever had in racing,” said Wells.

“Two Interdominions, a Great Southern Star and now to come across here. He has won the hearts of every Australian fan, he won the hearts of a lot of Europeans in Sweden last year, and we certainly hope that by the time he leaves here at the end of May he will have won the hearts of New Zealand as well.

“Callmethebreeze is a sensational horse and he has proven that, but we knew 2200m was his sweet spot and were pretty confident. I was a little bit worried just before the turn, I thought we were gone but he knuckled down and did the job as we knew he would and it’s just a fantastic performance.

“Greg and Jess have been sensational. they have had him since July of 22 and in less than two years they have taken us on a journey that nobody could ever have thought possible,” he said.

 JUST BELIEVE REPLAY

The winning time of 2:40.1 was a full second outside of Sundees Son’s national 2200m record, but a last half run in 55.4 made it impossible for the likes of Ben Hope and Muscle Mountain to make any ground despite being four lengths off the lead pair (and four wide) turning for home. The lead new Zealand hope battled into 7th and Hope was complimentary of his rivals in the aftermath.

“Just Believe, what a super horse,” said Hope.

“I underestimated how hard the draw would be and in hindsight I maybe did the wrong thing going forward early, but I think whatever I did it was going to be hard from that marble with the way the front runners had dominated most of the evening.

“Full credit to the Aussies, they were too good on the day and hats off to them all, they were great,” he said.

Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son) and Mark Purdon received an economical trip three back along the markers but the master trainer confirmed to Greg O’Connor post race that the horse failed to relax in the running and therefore lacked his usual potent sprint.

“He just took too much out of himself through the race and was pulling very hard throughout and it was probably his undoing in the run home,” said Purdon.

“I think they were the first four in the running and it felt like just a sprint home, although the time was reasonably quick in the end,” he said.

To the victors go the spoils and for the first time in a very long time, Australian trained horses came, saw and conquered the lions share of a major New Zealand stakes race.

If the TAB Trot continues to deliver that much enthusiasm and excitement to our industries on either side of the Tasman, I’m not sure you will find many here in New Zealand who will mind $400,000 NZD in stakes crossing the ditch.

It added so much to the Night of Champions we can only hope it is the first of many great trans Tasman clashes in the square gaiting ranks and sets the tone for administrators to ensure there are more Bledisloe type clashes in each gait future race calendars. The future of the sport might well depend on it!

Footnote: Europe’s loss is New Zealand harness racing’s gain with it being announced prior to the Race By Grins that Just Believe will not be accepting an Elitloppet invitation and will instead remain in New Zealand to contest the Auckland Rowe Cup carnival.

For complete Cambridge results, click here.

by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink