Bright Melton harness racing horsewoman Kylie Sugars has been beside her last start square-gaiter winner every step of the way.
Sugars said ever since Euryphaessa was just a few days old they had been virtually inseparable.
“I took her dam Indie Pepperell to Soho Standardbreds and she foaled ‘Thea’, that’s her nickname, there. Soon afterwards I collected them both and they went back to Hopetoun Park where we were based,” she said.
“A bit later I started her education, teaching her to have a halter on, being tied-up to a lead and having her feet picked up. We have come a long way since that time.”
And the pair combined to take out the Harness Breeders Victoria 2yo Vicbred Maiden Trot at this week’s 2020 Humbletonian Day at Maryborough. Significantly it marked a decade of HBV sponsorship of the all-maiden race day.
Euryphaessa (Majestic Son-Indi Pepperell (Lawman USA) led all the way in the $10,000 event to score a deserved win for an elated Sugars, who gave another polished driving display.
Flashback: Kylie Sugars with Euryphaessa as a newly born foal
Euryphaessa (pronounced yura-fessa) is the Greek goddess of light, and the alternative spelling of the name in Greek mythology is Thiea, hence her stable name.
“She was sired by Majestic Son, so she was named after the mother of the sun god Helios,” Sugars said.
“Since day one she has always shown ability, but there was also a bit of attitude with it. So we’d bring her in and when she’d had enough, she would get turned out. This happened quite a few times, but she kept getting better and better.
“When she has her mind on the job, it’s very exciting because she shows heaps of ability. She was terrific first-up this campaign with a second at Bendigo in quick time. But she got it all wrong at her next start and finished down the track after galloping. I put it down to her having an off day—she just wasn’t right.”
Sugars said she decided to pull the half hopples on the horse up a few holes at her last outing and “it worked a treat”.
“I race ‘Thea’ with two longtime friends in Jamie Braidwood and Barry Lay. I’ve known Jamie almost all of my life because he was a very good racecaller in Adelaide. He now runs a TAB outlet. Barry was a car salesman and I actually bought my very first car from him!” she said.
“Of course, with the COVID-19 restrictions, neither of them have been trackside to see ‘Thea’ race yet, but when it opens up again, I reckon they’ll be the first through the gates!
“Jamie raced the dam Indie Pepperell successfully in SA, and later he sent her over to us. I think we won four races with her.
“She was a beautiful mare and Jamie asked if I wanted to be a co-owner in any of her foals when she retired.
“So that was nice, and it’s also been terrific in reconnecting with both Jamie and Barry.”
Sugars said while she hadn’t any immediate plans for Euryphaessa, the Breeders Crown would be one target.
“Then we’ll also look at the Redwood and ultimately the VicBred series,” she said.
Sugars trains only a small team of two—the other being one of Victoria’s stars of the square gaiting scene, Sammy Showdown (Bacardi Lindy-Alabama Showdown (Yankee Pace).
The chestnut gelding, with a career 11 wins and nine placings from 28 starts for over $100K, has been in superb form of late with three wins and three placings from his last seven starts.
“It’s not by design that my stable is made up of only trotters. But I absolutely love them. I could easily have a stable full of them,” she laughed.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura