Veteran Aussie pacer on track for New Zealand raid

Connections of Triple Eight (American Ideal) remain hopeful of a run in New Zealand’s $1million slot race, but the veteran harness racing pacer will travel overseas regardless of whether or not he secures a position in The Race by Grins.

Regular driver Greg Sugars says Triple Eight will join Jess Tubbs-trained stablemate Better Eclipse on a flight to New Zealand on April 6, with the latter already locked in for the feature at Cambridge on April 14.

Sugars said there had been some interest from slot holders for the eight-year-old Triple Eight, who has won 21 races from 103 starts.

“If a slot comes available, we’d definitely grab it,” Sugars said.

“He’s going really good at the moment so I don’t think he’d be too far out of place if he was to pick up a position.

“There has been some enquiries so we’re a chance and in the mix.”

Sugars said even if Triple Eight failed to gain a start in The Race by Grins, he would tackle the Taylor Mile on April 21, the Messenger on April 28 and then his main goal, the Auckland Cup on May 26.

Better Eclipse, a winner of last weekend’s City of Melton Plate, will race for Kennard Bloodstock in the 2200m feature and then stay on for the Taylor Mile and Messenger.

“He may come home after that,” Sugars said.

“The Auckland Cup is a stand and he’s not qualified from a stand yet, so we’ve got that up our sleeve.

“He may go to the trials next week to try and qualify beforehand just in case we want to hang around for that, but I suppose you’d say it’s a 50-50 chance of him being in that.”

Stablemate and star trotter Just Believe could then venture to New Zealand for the Rowe Cup on May 26.

Sugars said it had been decided to give the reigning Inter Dominion and Great Southern Star champion a little freshen following his last-start second in The Hammerhead Trotters Mile on March 4.

“There’s another race a couple of weeks before (the Rowe Cup), so he’ll go over for that if we decide to do that,” he said.

Three slots remain unfilled for The Race by Grins, which will be run on Friday, April 14.

by Tim O’Connor, for Harness Racing Victoria