In the early hours of Monday, May 27, Greg Sugars will be sitting at home watching TV with his emotions swirling.
His mind will go back a year to the biggest and, ultimately, most heart-breaking moment of his career.
That’s when Just Believe hopes of becoming the first Aussie trotter to qualify for the iconic Elitlopp final at Solvalla in Sweden were dashed with a scrimmage on the home bend.
Sugars says Just Believe is a much better horse now and his form says as much, especially a couple of those recent wins in NZ.
Since returning home from his three-race Swedish raid – where he ran two fantastic placings after the Elitlopp – Just Believe has raced 15 times for 13 wins and two terrific seconds. Any luck and he’d be unbeaten in that time.
While there’s unfinished business still churning in his head, Sugars and wife, Jess Tubbs, made a decision they had to for their huge stable and the business they’ve poured everything into – to stay home instead of chasing redemption at Solvalla.
“Financially, it’s what we had to do and we’re far better off for it,” Sugars said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m still not a bit torn that we didn’t take him back (to Sweden).
“Of course, I’ll be watching and wondering what might have been. We saw how competitive he was in those last two races (in Sweden) and he’s come back better. He’s gone to another level and I learnt a lot from that trip which would’ve helped had we gone back.
“It would have been great to do the adventure again, but this year just wasn’t the right time for us.”
Sugars prefers to look more broadly and the good fortune, and even surprise, Just Believe not only handled his daunting Swedish trip so well, but returned better for it.
“I really feared he’d go the other way and that it was something we had to try, but it might take a lot out of him,” he admitted.
“It’s incredible when you look at how he and also go back to Sundons Gift when he went across, how they both came back much better for the trip and the experience.
“Where enjoying that and in awe of him really. He mightn’t be going back to Sweden, but he’s been able to do some amazing things in NZ instead and we’ve still got another big one over there to come.”
Just Believe made it three wins from as many NZ starts with arguably the most dominant performance of his stellar career in the Group 1 National Trot at Auckland’s Alexandra Park last Friday night.
The eight-year-old sat outside and humbled NZ’s best trotter, Muscle Mountain. Seemingly doing it with plenty still in hand.
“He always seems to have to do it the hard way, but it gives him the chance to show how great he is,” Sugars said.
“I had a plan with Muscle Mountain. I know how fast he is, but I knew my guy would stay the 2700m really well, so I poured the pressure on a long way out and was surprised I drew alongside him so early on the home bend and had him covered.
“I gave ‘Harry’ as easy a time as possible after that and he did it comfortably. You run out of things to say about him, but it was certainly up with his best wins when you consider what Muscle Mountain has done and how highly rated he is.
“He’s got three weeks between runs now. He’ll miss the Anzac Cup on May 17 and go straight to the (Group 1) Rowe Cup the week after.”
Then it’s back home for a spell for Just Believe and Sugars, who has been burning the candle at both ends with his ditch-hopping in recent weeks.
It’s a given Just Believe will chase an historic third successive Inter Dominion trotting crown in the NSW series starting on November 29.
There’s also a growing chance he will return to NZ before for the Group 1 Dominion Trot at Christchurch’s Addington track on November 15.
“It’s a chance because he’s such a great traveller and we know the sort of opposition we will be facing,” Sugars said.
“But it will all depend on how suitable the travel is. We won’t do anything to hinder his preparation for the Inter Dominion, that’s the main target.
“If we can get a direct flight from Melbourne to Christchurch or something similar, which seems suitable, then we’ll give it serious thought.”