Triple Eight chasing spot in Group 2 Tasmania Cup

07 March 2021 | Duncan Dornauf for Tasracing
Logo

The husband and wife team of Greg Sugars and Jess Tubbs start their Tasmanian Autumn Carnival raid on Sunday with two runners from their stable in the island state.

2019 Inter Dominion finalist and multiple Group winner Triple Eight will contest the final heat of the Tasmania Cup, while Momentslikethese will contest the Three Year Old Fillies Championship ahead of Saturday’s Tasmanian Oaks.

Triple Eight has won 12 of his 59 starts, with most of those efforts being across the Tasman and will be stepping out for the third time since joining the Jess Tubbs stable after contesting the Hunter and Terang Cups his last two outings.

“He has performed at the highest level in New Zealand for most of his career. It is very exciting to have him enter our gates,” said Sugars.

The gelding looks very well placed in the second and final heat of the Group 2 Tasmania Cup in Hobart tonight, where the American Ideal gelding has a 30-metre back mark to overcome.

“He has done a lot of his racing over the long trips and in standing starts, so the conditions are right up his alley,” said Sugars.

Triple Eight will start one of the shortest price favourites of the night, opening up at $1.40 this morning over rising local star Cool Water Paddy who is resuming from a break.

The first seven horses home qualify for the $75,000 Group 2 Final on Saturday night.

Sugars will also take the reins on Momentlikethese in the Three Year Old Fillies Championship, where they will be out to end the winning run of local filly Bridwood Bella who is undefeated after three starts.

Momentslikethese has won two of her 14 starts and has been placed on six occasions, and has been racing at the top two-year-old level in Victoria.

“She is a bit unlucky as she is in the crop of fillies that is a very strong group that we have seen for some time, last years two-year-old racing was unbelievable really, but she held her own in a lot of the races and made a lot of Group 1 finals, said Sugars.

“We are very happy with what she has done, and she seems to be maturing now she has turned three, and hopefully she can bridge the gap on the better ones from last year this year,” added the driver.

The filly was narrowly defeated in a Melton trial on 1 March when coming from last to be beaten a head in a solid last half mile.

“She has had that one trial, and she did that comfortable, so we thought we would bring her down with Triple Eight,” said Sugars.

The filly will stay in the state for Saturday’s Tasmanian Oaks.

Tonight's card also sees the running of the Tasmanian Guineas, the final lead-up race ahead of next week's Tasmanian Derby.

Meanwhile, Victorian trainer Dean Braun is represented by multiple Group 1 winning mare Our Princess Tiffany and former New Zealand three-year-old filly Annerie in two trials that will be held before the race meeting.

 

Related News

29 March 2024
Gibson family honoured in more ways than one at Bathurst Carnival
SINCE the inception of the Bathurst Gold Crown in 1987, the Gibson family and their Success Stud have positively contributed to shaping the hugely-successful juvenile carnival. Originally based in Queensland before relocating to the idyllic Young region, the late John Gibson initially operated Success...
29 March 2024
Group 1 mares add star power to Riverina Championships
Four Group 1 winning mares - including two currently considered to be among the nation’s best - will clash in an intriguing battle at the Riverina Championships finals program at Wagga on Sunday. The meeting features two $100,000 finals for four and five year-old pacers - one each for the boys...
29 March 2024
Ford looking for Gold on Good Friday
The combined harness and greyhound meeting on Good Friday night in Hobart is fast becoming a Tassie racing tradition, and it’s back again with eight greyhound races and six harness events making up this year’s 14-race program. Driver Dylan Ford will be out to continue his excellent start...
28 March 2024
New HRV chair Adam Kilgour on challenges, opportunities
Newly appointed Harness Racing Victoria chair Adam Kilgour says his passion for a challenge and the people in racing drives his desire to strengthen the industry. Kilgour was yesterday announced to replace Dale Monteith as the head of the board, on which he has served since 2018, and said he was eager...
28 March 2024
La sun of a gun emerges as Blackbook zeros in on breeding line
La Machane won 20 of her 61 starts and more than $330,000 for connections in Ross and Greg Sugars' care and the mare's making just as big an impression in the breeding barn. Having given us La Puddie ($137,179) and La Captain ($182,020), the Bettors Delight mare has another nice type in Benbullan, who...
Click for more