Melpark Major, pictured winning last year's The Legends, will have a new driver in this year's race
Alan Tubbs’s disappointment at not having daughter Amy available to drive Melpark Major in Friday night’s Caravan Industry Vic The Legends eased slightly when the star pacer drew perfectly for the 1720m scamper.
The monstrous gelding will start from barrier two in the $50,000 Group 2 event formerly known as The Legends Mile, which will now be run at Tabcorp Park, Melton.
It will be the first time in 31 starts since Tubbs took over training of the six-year-old in July 2007 that someone other than Amy has sat behind Melpark Major in a race.
The Bacchus Marsh trainer was forced to find a new driver when Amy had an appeal against a four-week suspension dismissed by the Independent Appeals Board last week.
Tubbs didn’t have to turn far for a replacement with Greg Sugars, the partner of Tubbs’s youngest daughter Jess, entrusted with the job of guiding Melpark Major to back-to-back Legends wins.
The 25-year-old, who is Victoria’s equal leading driver with Chris Alford after partnering 36 winners so far this season, couldn’t have asked for a better draw for his maiden drive on the reigning Victorian Horse of the Year.
Given the speed Melpark Major showed to lead last year’s SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cup, Sugars should be able to cross polemarker Karlsruhe if he desires.
The rest of the front-row class is drawn out wide with Diamonds N Furs (five), Ti Vogliobene (six) and Cincinnati Kid (seven) allocated the three widest barriers.
Bold Cruiser is the headline act of a four-horse second line and will start from gate 10 in the race to be run at 9.42pm.
The Legends forms part of a star-studded second half of the eight-race program that culminates with glamour trotter Skyvalley going around in the Royal Flair Caravans Trotters Free-For-All at 10.12pm.
The Chris Lang-trained superstar has the back row to himself in an eight-horse mobile that also includes In Pursuit (barrier three), Dream A Moment (four) and Sundons Tiavon (seven).
Very Chic and Deanna Troy are the headline acts of the night’s other feature, the $20,000 Harness Breeders Vic Melton Mares Championship at 8.42pm, while 30 minutes later former Victoria Derby champion Tanabi Bromac will resume against a crack field of M2-M3s in the Dometic Group Pace.