The memory of Greg Sugars will forever be tattooed on everyone’s heart and Jess Tubbs’ forearm

by Adam Hamilton

Down Under harness racing was catapulted into shock and disbelief 12 months ago.

One of its brightest stars and most loved and admired figures, Greg Sugars, died suddenly and seemingly without reason.

It’s been a confronting year for the sport, but unthinkably hard for Sugars’ wife, Jess Tubbs.

To the sport Sugars, who was just 40, was a freakish talent with over 4,000 wins, including 70 at Group 1 level. He was at the height of his powers, and well on the way to Hall of Fame greatness.

But to Tubbs he was her other half, the man she finished all the long, hard, and sometimes relentlessly tough days in the stables with.

The person who made it all worthwhile.

He remains a part of her, albeit just in memory and ink now.

Tubbs recently got a tattoo on the inside of her forearm. That stunned most because she’s never been a fan of ink.

“I don’t like tattoos, Greg had them, but I said I never would,” she said. “It says ‘tu me manques’ which is French for ‘you are missing from me.’ Greg would think that’s pretty cool, I think.”

It was April 26 last year when police arrived at the Myrniong property of Tubbs and Sugars, an hour north-west of Melbourne, to break the devastating news that Sugars was dead.

A friend and fellow horseman had found Sugars dead in a hotel room near Sydney while preparing to race their horses at Menangle that night.

How?

Why?

Everyone wanted to know, but there were no immediate answers, just questions, and hurtful and unfounded speculation.

It was several months before Tubbs finally learned Sugars had Long QT syndrome (LQTS) and died in his sleep because the electrical currents stopped driving his heart.

He went to sleep and never woke up.

“It certainly helps to have an answer,” Tubbs said. “It’s a comfort knowing he was asleep when he died and had no idea, but had we known [about LQTS] we could’ve done something about it.

“I’m now working with the Sydney Heart Institute on genetic testing to give Greg’s family some more precise answers, so they know which side of the family needs to get tested and prevent any further tragedies.”

Already, Sugars’ sister, Kylie, has been diagnosed with LQTS as well.

Tubbs said the past year has felt long and drawn out.

“It’s been a real battle to get through,” Tubbs said. “I miss everything about him given we worked together 24/7. I miss him with the horses, his knowledge and knack was unmatched, but when you go inside at night and there’s nobody there is when I miss him most. He was away a lot, but was always coming home.”

The doubters muttered behind Tubbs’ back, and even some directly to her, that the stable would struggle without Sugars.

“It was not unexpected, but hurtful from people you have respect for and that obviously they don’t carry for you,” Tubbs said.

“Greg and I both knew how hard we both worked and I’ve never pretended I ran this on my own, it’s been very much a team and difficult picking up the slack.

“It’s also been nice to continue on some of the success and put a few people back in their place.”

The greatest moment for Tubbs since Sugars’ passing came at last November’s iconic New Zealand Cup Week in Christchurch when star trotting filly Tracy The Jet won the $500,000 The Ascent slot race.

A year earlier, Tubbs and Sugars had won the Group 1 Dominion Trot together at the same carnival with their greatest horse, trotter Just Believe.

“It was really intimidating to go back without Greg because he was so loved over there,” Tubbs said. “We had so many friends over there and Greg had so much respect from the industry.

“Being able to go and be amongst those friends and great people and then to get the win was so special and it validated going back.

“To be there with some of my best friends in the world and watch her win, the emotions were pretty strong, and to have ‘Herbie’ [James Herbertson] driving her, I felt really proud that day. It was a really, really important day to me.”

Proud is an important word to Tubbs.

“I know how proud Greg would be looking down,” she said. “He knew how hard I worked and I think we’re all a bit surprised how much I’ve been able to achieve in the past 12 months. It’s really, really hard on your own and I know he’d be devastated he left me in this position.

“If I could swap with him, I would in a heartbeat.”

Injustice is another swirling emotion.

“It feels incredibly unfair because we’d sacrificed a huge amount in the time we’d been together,” Tubbs said. “This was our dream and we’d put everything into it. We were finally in a position to start to enjoy life and that was meant to be our plan for the past 12 months.

“It’s a really strange feeling to wake up and the future you’d set yourself up for is gone… I find myself starting again at 38 and it’s lonely. It was a team sport and now it’s not.”

Tubbs, who always took the back seat publicly in their business, has been uncharacteristically open on social media for a reason.

“I want people to know and remember more than just Greg Sugars the driver… his smile, how cheeky he was, the fun-loving person he was,” she said. “He made such an effort to make people feel important and special.

“At the races he sometimes came across with a bit of arrogance, but that wasn’t him at all. He was quite shy and we lived a pretty simple life here on the hill, not being particularly social, but having a lot of fun.”

Now it’s just Tubbs on the hill with 30 horses in work.

“I wake at 5 a.m., have a couple of coffees in bed, anyone without a kettle next to their bed is missing out, and then I’ll head to the stables to get things ready for when the staff arrive at 7 a.m.… then I work until we’re done,” she said.

“I eat cold food; I don’t have time to heat things up. Some days we’ll have races, too, and then there’s grading the track, the accounts, the list goes on.

“I’ve got great staff and they are so important to trust, for support and the banter around the stable is really important.”

But it is Tubbs’ mother, Kate, who has been her rock.

“She’s awesome and looks after me in so many ways,” Jess said. “She also knows what it’s like to lose a partner [Jess’ father Alan died] unexpectedly, too.

“I’ve also got a terrific group of friends around Australia, in New Zealand and even a few in the U.S. as well. I’m very lucky in that regard, they seem to sense the right times to check in.”

For all top horses Jess and Sugars shared, Fighter Command is the one who continues the equine bond between the pair.

The big, raw, goofy and untapped 5-year-old boasts 13 wins and six placings from just 26 starts and started this year with a win and two fantastic seconds.

“We’ve always had a huge opinion of him and he’s got lovely patient owners who have allowed us to look after it,” Jess said. “We had a long-term plan with him and he’s come back really well, it’s very sad Greg’s not here to share this horse with me.

“He’s a huge horse and still really green, so hopefully he’ll take another step up this year and then next year we can have a bit of fun with him.”

Fighter Command is one of the horses who continues to drive Jess.

“Heaps of continuing [training] has been in his [Greg’s] honor,” she said. “This was always Greg’s dream and I gave up a corporate career I was happy in to support him.

“But I love the horses and now they’re my reason for getting up and through the past 12 months.

“I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be in five years. I didn’t see the past 12 months happening, so I’ve just got to roll with the punches and see how long I can maintain it for.

“Professionally and personally, it’s hard to look too far forward, so I’ll give myself the grace of time.”