By Tim O'Connor
Just Believe joined some of the state’s greatest harness racing names as a back-to-back winner of the Victorian Horse of the Year crown late last month.
The late great Greg Sugars was at the forefront of everyone’s minds as the horse he drove to so many famous victories was acknowledged as the standout performer of 2024.
Sugars, who sadly passed away in April, teamed up with Just Believe to win an incredible 15 races last season, including Group 1 triumphs in the Australian Trotting Grand Prix and Bill Collins Trotters Sprint at Melton, and National Trot, Rowe Cup and Dominion Trot in New Zealand.
Trained by Sugars’ wife Jess Tubbs, bred and owned by Yabby Dam Farms and leased by the Iona Trotter Syndicate, Just Believe became the eighth standardbred and first trotter to receive the Victorian Horse of the Year award twice.
He joins greats of the track Gammalite (1982 and 1984), Shakamaker (2000 and 2001), Sokyola (2004 and 2005), Smoken Up (2011 and 2012), Caribbean Blaster (2013 and 2014), Lennytheshark (2016 and 2017) and Lochinvar Art (2020 and 2021) as dual winners.
Just Believe was voted the Victorian Horse of the Year ahead of finalists Keayang Zahara and Catch A Wave, who claimed the three-year-old trotting filly and aged pacing entire/gelding categories respectively.
Time was called on Just Believe’s career early this year, with his 38 wins and 23 placings from 83 starts reaping $1,929,253 in earnings to leave him second to the mighty Lyell Creek on Australasian trotting’s rich list.
In front of more than 200 people at Melton Entertainment Park, Clinton Welsh was toasted as winner of Victorian harness racing’s highest individual honour, the Gordon Rothacker Medal, for his lifelong achievements as a trainer, driver and administrator, while Marg Lee claimed the Pearl Kelly Award for her outstanding contribution to the sport as a woman.
Master horseman Chris Lang Snr was inducted as a Caduceus Club of Victoria Living Legend, as Emma Stewart (state and metropolitan), James Herbertson (state), Mark Pitt (metro) and Ryan Sanderson (concession) were acknowledged for winning respective training and driving titles in 2024.
