Greg Sugars with his Noel Smith Memorial Drivers Championship trophy.
GREG Sugars is the 2015 Noel Smith Memorial Invitation Drivers Championship winner.
Sugars took the prestigious title by two points over Gavin Lang today at Horsham as a star-studded field of reinsmen and women battled across a four-race series.
Sugars won the series’ third race aboard Liv Lavish for trainer Dean Braun, who finished with a winning treble at Horsham – including taking out the feature event, the Group 3 Pegasus Spur @ Woodlands Tontine Trotters Series Final with unbeaten four-year-old Franco Jaeger.
Sugars was Mr Consistent across the four races of the Noel Smith, finishing second aboard Lagoon Beach behind Kerryn Manning and Major Cruiser in the first race, fifth with Soho Tokyo in the second race and third aboard Vivant in the final event.
Gavin Lang scored 32 points to finish series runner-up, his best result coming in the second race behind winner Quaint Glen for Braun.
Post-event reports were that Sugars could be overheard telling recently crowned World Champion Dexter Dunn: "I may not be World Champion but I'll gladly take Horsham!"
Meanwhile, Hilltop Hustler returned to winning form to take out the O'Keefe for trainer/driver Michael Stanley.
The five-year-old rated 1:57.9 in the 2200m race, starting from gate 10.
Franco Jaeger, who took out the Tontine Trot, is unbeaten in three starts, today rating 2:07.0 for the 2700m journey.
Runner-up Coimadai Lodge ran his usual honest race in second with Dieu De Lamour third.
