Harness racing participants will pause for a special moment of remembrance at Alexandra Park this Friday night when Gavin Smith dons the racing colors of the late Greg Sugars in the $200,000 Rowe Cup.
Greg Sugars, widely regarded as one of Australia’s greatest drivers, sadly passed away in New South Wales over the weekend.
His sudden loss has been felt across the harness racing world, with Sugars leaving behind a remarkable legacy of more than 4000 career wins over a celebrated 25-year career.
Smith trains and will drive the talented trotter One Over All (Angus Hall) in the feature race, a horse who carries a deep connection to Sugars.
During his time in Australia, Sugars trained One Over All to 15 wins and 15 placings, playing a major role in the gelding’s development and success.
“Greg had a lot to do with One Over All,” owner Lex Williams told Harnesslink.
“It feels fitting that Gavin will wear Greg’s colors on Friday night. It’s a way to acknowledge everything Greg contributed to the horse and to harness racing as a whole.”
The Rowe Cup, one of New Zealand’s most prestigious trotting features, will be raced over the extreme distance of 3200 metres. The race was won last year by champion trotter Just Believe (Orlando Vici), driven by Greg Sugars, providing an even more fitting stage for Friday night’s tribute.
One Over All heads into the Group 1 event in strong form after a solid third placing in last week’s lead-up race, the ANZAC Cup, and Smith will be hoping for a performance that does justice to the memories they will carry onto the track.
It promises to be an emotional night, as the harness racing community comes together to remember one of its finest.
From Harnesslink Media