John Dunne
Highly promising three-year-old Hes From Heaven is suffering from an embarrassment of TAB Eureka riches in the Jess Tubbs stable.
With the Tubbs trained Fighter Command securing a berth in the world’s richest harness race after taking out The Beautide in Hobart last week, Hes From Heaven will be kept for the three-year-old classics after he continued to build a picket fence form line when he took out the Australian Pacing Gold Pace at Melton.
Sent out favourite, Hes From Heaven was given plenty of time to balance up from his outside front row draw before Greg Sugars pressed forward and wrested the lead off American Legacy after a short battle.
Hes From Heaven was allowed more rein by Sugars approaching the home turn and the son of Sweet Lou bounded away to score from Earl Of Pembroke and Younggiftedandblack in a mile rate of 1:54.9
for the 2240 metres.
Sugars said he was taken by the win.
“He’s putting together quite an impressive record overall,” Sugars said. “Tonight he was really opened up in the early stages to work forward and find the front which is something he hasn’t done before, so it was really pleasing that he handled that and finished off up the straight.
Sugars indicated Hes From Heaven will head towards the feature races in the next couple of seasons.
“He’s certainly got his fair share of ability and being only a three-year-old, there are some pretty decent three-year-old races later on this year so we will be targeting those races,” he said.
“Hopefully he will keep developing as a four-year-old and we can aim him at the serious four-year- old races next season.”
Hes From Heaven, who is raced by Ron Anderson and his son Robert, has now won his past five starts taking his career record to six wins from 10 outings.
Sundons Courage, a stalwart of Victorian trotting, is closing in on $500, 000 in stake earnings after he accounted for his more fancied rivals in the Aldebaran Park Trotters Free For All.
Jack Laugher, taking the reins behind Sundons Courage for the first time, allowed the son of Sundon to lob along on the pegs at the rear of the field while the $2.20 favorite Aldebaran Vera took up the
front running.
Sundons Courage was still last around the final bend, however once in sprint lane the 11-year- old displayed a scintillating turn of foot to reel in the leaders down the home stretch and score
running away from stable mate Ebonys Avenger in a mile rate of 1:58.1.
Laugher said the Chris Angove trained winner was an old marvel.
“It’s the first time I have driven him and he went super,” Laugher said. “He just keeps getting the job done and I think he’s won a race every season he’s been racing.
Laugher said a change of gear proved effective after Sundons Courage overraced when unplaced at Melton the previous week.
“Last week he just got too fired up and they changed the bit around so I just kept him quiet in the warm up and he seemed fine, he settled better in the race tonight and obviously the bit worked
wonders,” he said.
“They said he had been working well but things just haven’t been going his way at the races.”
Sundons Courage, who has sired 25 live foals, has now won 27 races along with 39 placings.
