‘The world stopped turning on April 26’: Harness racing pays emotional tribute to the late Greg Sugars at Melton memorial service

The racetrack where champion horseman Greg Sugars drove the majority of his winners and celebrated some of his greatest moments on Monday became the place where family, friends and the harness industry emotionally farewelled him.

Jess Tubbs and the late Greg Sugars formed a wonderful partnership in life and harness racing. Picture: Stuart McCormick

Greg 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, on Monday became the place where family, friends and the harness industry emotionally farewelled him.

More than 1000 people, from all around Australia and many from NZ, gathered to hear stories of Sugars the person as much as 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 and close Kiwi friend and horseman, Gavin Smith.

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NZ’s greatest horseman Mark Purdon flew across and 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.

Greg Sugars' partner Jess Tubbs (black jacket) and star international driver James Herbertson (to Jess's left) bow their heads at an emotional tribute to the late star driver. Picture: Stuart McCormick

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.”

Greg Sugars with Just Believe, the star trotter who took him around the world. Picture: HRNZ

Gavin Smith first met Sugars in Adelaide 18 years ago when competing in the Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship.

“I knew within two minutes we could be great mates. 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’ve never forgotten it.”

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.

Such was his impact, drivers throughout Australia, NZ, Sweden and numerous US tracks wore black armbands today or will in the coming days.

• Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.

Originally published as ‘The world stopped turning on April 26’: Harness racing pays emotional tribute to the late Greg Sugars at Melton memorial service