By Adam Hamilton
The huge impact Greg Sugars had on New Zealand harness racing and its people was evident for all to see at his Memorial Service at Melton yesterday.
Mark Purdon made the trip across, Gavin Smith spoke superbly, while David and Stacey White, along with Josh Dickie and Sammy Kilgour were just some of other Kiwis to travel to Melbourne for it.
Then there was a group of Kiwi trainers, drivers, owners and fans who banded together at Addington to share the moment and watch the live stream, provided by Harness Racing Victoria, on a big screen.
“What a beautiful service it was and it was good to share it with others at Addington,” Cran Dalgety said.
Speaking after the service, Purdon said: “I had to be here. Greg just sort of had that impact on people.”
Smith, one of just five “formal” speakers at the service, talked about first meeting Sugars in Adelaide 18 years ago when competing in the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship.
“I knew within two minutes we could be great mates,” he said.
“I remember when Jim Jacques (race caller) introduced all us drivers to the crowd in that series. We all shook our heads when Jim gave Greg the most lavish of intros, I looked over and that was the first time I saw that huge smile of his … I’ll never forget it.”
More than 1000 people from around Australia attended the service where Sugars took centre stage at Melton one last time.
The racetrack where the champion horseman drove the majority of his winners and celebrated some of his greatest moments, became the place where family, friends and the harness industry farewelled him.
The theme was as much about Sugars the person as it was Sugars the Hall of Fame horseman.
Sugars’ wife, Jess Tubbs, opened the tributes and was followed by Australia’s premier driver and close friend James Herbertson, Sugars’ sister, Kylie, friend and Alabar Bloodstock supremo Brett Coffey.
Other touching tributes followed from former HRNSW CEO John Dumesny, top horseman Geoff Webster, former Adelaide race caller Jim Jacques and Malcolm Wells, managing owner of Tubbs and Sugars’ champion trotter Just Believe.
Tubbs showed remarkable strength and vulnerability as she spoke of the life they built and the devastating loss she felt.
“After two really hard years where we focused on work more than ourselves, 2025 was meant to be our year,” she said.
“Greg was the dreamer and I was the voice of reason, it’s why we worked so well together.
“There are no answers yet (as to how Sugars died), but hopefully we will in time.”
Sugars died in his sleep on April 26.
Tubbs and Sugars shared the greatest of highs with Just Believe, who took them around the world and won them 10 Group 1 races. He retired in January the second-richest earning trotter in Australasian history.
“The bond ‘Harry’ (Just Believe’s stable name) and Greg had was incredible and I firmly believe he wouldn’t have reached the heights he did without Greg,” Tubbs said.
Wells added: “Jess and Greg took us on a journey we could only dream of.”
Herbertson, who flew back from a working holiday in the US, said Sugars was “like another father, a mentor and an idol”.
“Greg, you’ll never know the pedestal I had you on … the world stopped turning on April 26.”
His sister, Kylie, talked of life growing-up in the outer suburbs of Adelaide with father Ross, a decorated horseman, and mother, Kerry.
“Try and all live your lives like Greg did. He lived it like he wanted and to heck with the finer details,” she said. “And he went to places two kids growing up in Virginia could only dream of.”
Sugars, just 40, had already built a Hall of Fame career with wins in so many of Australasia’s biggest races. He drove more than 4000 winners, including 71 at Group 1 level.
