By Michael Howard (HRV)<\/p>\n
Being able to replicate some of the deeds of her late, celebrated father Alan has been one of the joys of Jess Tubbs\u2019 young but thriving training career and she ticked another box on a terrific night of metropolitan racing at Tabcorp Park Melton.<\/p>\n
The Tubbs name will now feature three times on the renowned City of Melton Plate honour roll, with Jess teaming with reinsman Greg Sugars and Better Eclipse to replicate the deeds her sister Amy (driver) and dad Alan (trainer) achieved in 2008 with Melpark Major.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot for us to get this race under our belt, especially for Jess, she likes to tick off the bucket list the races that her dad and Amy have won previously,\u201d Greg Sugars told TrotsVision.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took out the Melton Plate obviously with their special horse Melpark Major and to do it with our horse Better Eclipse is a real special moment for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Better Eclipse zipped past the $600,000 mark in career earnings with victory in the Group 3 $50,000 feature, part of three races on the card that celebrated harness racing\u2019s valued partnership with the City of Melton.<\/p>\n
Two of those were snaffled by Tubbs and Sugars\u2019 Larajay Farms (Myrniong), with veteran pacer A Gs White Socks continuing his great form for the stable in winning the Melton City Much More Stampede.<\/p>\n
The nine-year-old sat in wait while Bulletproof Boy (second) and comeback kid Code Bailey (fourth) made the early running, circling the leaders in a 27.2-second final quarter to win by 2.7 metres with Tango Tara finishing well for third.<\/p>\n
Sugars showed similar patience with Better Eclipse in the 34th running of the City Of Melton Plate, having settled on to key rival Major Moth\u2019s back in the running line while Outlaw Man led.<\/p>\n
The front pair fought on well but Better Eclipse gradually ground to the lead in the straight, winning by a head from Outlaw Man with Major Moth finishing a close third.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he was pretty close to the mark but if something didn\u2019t go his way that he might be vulnerable,\u201d Sugars said of the winner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say that will really tighten him up, his mannerisms just coming straight off the track he looks like he was still full of beans.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe couldn\u2019t have gone any quicker up that straight, it was a pretty solid dash up over the last furlong or two, but I think he was strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Better Eclipse is working towards a tilt at New Zealand\u2019s $1 million Race By Grins on April 14 and Sugars was satisfied with how he was building on last year\u2019s breakout four-year-old season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s had a bit of a break and obviously he\u2019s a bit more seasoned to that style of racing, he\u2019s physically a bit stronger in himself,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say he\u2019s a better racehorse necessarily than what he was beforehand, but he\u2019s certainly a more mature animal and hopefully we can keep him competing at that high level for a few more seasons yet.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Michael Howard (HRV) Being able to replicate some of the deeds of her late, celebrated father Alan has been one of the joys of Jess Tubbs\u2019 young but thriving training career and she ticked another box on a terrific night of metropolitan racing at Tabcorp Park Melton. The Tubbs name will now feature three […]<\/p>\n