Harness racing superstar Greg Sugars has had a whirlwind week in the sulky – but he saved the sweetest moment for last, with his unashamed stable "favorite" Little Peanut.
The undisputed highlight of the week was Sugars' victory in the $110,000 Ballarat Pacing Cup on Saturday night with rising New Zealand star A Gs White Socks for Greg and Nina Hope.
But it was the more modest $14,500 Wedderburn cup victory on Sunday, with former brilliant juvenile Little Peanut (Blissfull Hall-Janbob (Speedking) that was perhaps the emotional high point for Sugars and his partner Jess Tubbs.
A memorable week began when Tubbs and Sugars took out a double at Warragul last Sunday with Little Peanut and Robert The Bruce (McCardle-Bumble Bee). The latter then followed up by winning again at Melton on Friday night and the dream run continued with the Ballarat Cup victory, and with Sugars also qualifying the brilliant Emma Stewart-trained filly Maajida (Somebeachsomewhere-Arterial Way (Art Major) for the final of the Victoria Oaks.
Then on Sunday Sugars made it a weekend cups double with Little Peanut.
Little Peanut “tastes” success in the Wedderburn Pacing Cup (Wedderburn HRC Photo)
"You don't get weeks like that too often – and I took a short break in New Zealand to catch up with some friends during the week, so maybe I should do that more often!" Sugars joked.
"It's been a long road with Little Peanut – but that's the most satisfying thing. Firstly, that he's back on track, but also that he's racing so well," he said.
Little Peanut is pint-sized, but the handsome chestnut has personality plus and he quickly endeared himself as a stable favorite when arriving at the Tubbs-Sugars establishment Larajay Park as a yearling. He was a terrific youngster, taking out a heat of the NSW Breeders 2yo Challenge and finishing second in the final, before winning the Mildura Guineas and the Central Victorian Pacing Championship in his three-year-old season.
As a four-year-old, he was Chariots of Fire bound when he went amiss early last year, suffering a sesamoid injury.
"He had an operation and the recovery is always a slow one, but for a while it didn't look too good for him," Sugars said.
"But credit to Brian Anderson and the team at Ballarat Equine Clinic that we were able to overcome the issues and get him sound and eventually back in work," he said.
"Jess and I did most of the work at home with him and he's a real character and he loves attention, so that was probably a plus in his recovery. But it also did make it extra special just to be able to get him back to the track – to win at his second start, then the Wedderburn Cup. We are just so proud of him."
Sugars said he didn't expect the pacer would ever be "100 percent back to what he was".
"But he's a little favorite, and always has been, so it's just great that he's been able to get this far."
The Wedderburn Cup win made it back-to-back in the Central Victorian feature for Sugars after taking out the race last year with Emain Macha. Not so, regarding the Ballarat Cup, which Sugars has finished runner up in twice on Sushi Sushi in 2012 and 2013.
"Sushi Sushi is another of my all-time favorite horses, so it was satisfying to win it this time on A Gs White Socks – a great thrill," Sugars said.
–Ballarat HRC photo
"It was my first time sitting behind this horse, but he's such an easy going free-roller. He was just cruising, I was very confident a long way out."
A Gs White Socks' Ballarat Cup win was a more than impressive warm up to the pacer's main mission on this campaign – the AG Hunter Cup in two weeks.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura