The pair of Australian greats own shares in a racehorse, Forget, which is running in a race named after the former Test opener - the Phillip Hughes Tribute, over 1150 metres.

Although Angus cattle was Hughes's passion, he also took an interest in the gallops and was a registered racehorse owner in NSW.

"Mark and Ricky rang after the funeral when they realised what race it was in. It has made them even more keen to win it," said trainer Kim Waugh, who is also Mark's wife.

"It's kind of eerie that we have a horse named Forget running in the race.

"I just said to them, 'We better win it then and do the right thing'."

Forget is immaculately bred. His sire Exceed And Excel is one of the most sought-after stallions in the country while his mother Mnemosyne was a dual group 1-winning mare.

But it has taken some time for it all to click with the five-year-old gelding, though he is no slouch, having won five of his 22 starts for $130,000 in prizemoney.

"When I bought him I spoke to Peter Snowden because I bought it out of Darley," Kim Waugh said. "He said there's half a trick to him and if you ever find out what that is you'll have a good horse. He seems to have matured and really found out what racing's about."

Forget enters Saturday's event after winning his past two starts this time in at Muswellbrook and Canterbury. "They are good pointers," his trainer said.

A $7.50 chance, Forget could be responsible for a few more shouts in some of Macksville's watering holes come Saturday afternoon.

Backyard Bradman

Jason Hughes recalled fondly the difficulty he had in dismissing his brother during countless backyard Tests, but he was not alone.

There was no shame in that, and not just because of what Hughes later achieved in the game when grown men could not get him out.

"It probably started at 10 - people's arms started to get sore," said close family friend Anthony Miles, 41.

So they invented rules like electric wickies. "We had to do something to get him out," Miles said. Australian cricket is grateful they never had an automatic point for his cut shot.

Coffs Harbour getaway

We've heard how Hughes loved to return to Macksville to get away from the spotlight but The Tonk has been told of one occasion shortly after he cracked the big time when he decided to seek solace in Coffs Harbour.

Little did he know he would run into some even more enthusiastic fans.

"We got up there after a 65-kilometre taxi ride and we didn't realise the Australian Sikh Games were being held and there were 5000 of them," said a close friend of the Hughes family, Anthony Miles.

"We pulled up at this club and they were lining up all going, "PHILLIP HUGHES, PHILLIP HUGHES, PHILLIP HUGHES". It cost them a fortune that night in drinks."

They came from far and wide

It was not just Phillip Hughes's former teammates and opponents who went the extra mile to send him off. The Tonk met a councillor from Geelong who made the long journey to pay his respects on behalf of the Victorian city.

John Irvine, who holds the sport and recreation portfolio for the City of Greater Geelong, left home at 3.15am on Wednesday to drive to Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport for a 6am flight to Sydney. He then caught a connecting flight to Coffs Harbour before catching a cab for the final 58 kilometres to Hughes's home town.

"Out of respect to Phillip Hughes, his family, and cricket in general I wanted to be there to pay my respects," he said.

Like many involved in the sport, Irvine, 54, who figures he has played close to 400 games at club level, was shocked by Hughes' death.

"I've seen people have accidents get hurt but never anything like this," he said. "It's something we don't consider when we play."

Hughes let his bat do the talking

As Phillip Hughes walked out to the crease for his debut in Sydney grade cricket, old timers at Western Suburbs were questioning whether the kid from the bush had what it took to succeed.

"Geez he's small," one said. "Has he got power to hit the ball off the square?" said another.

"I had a quiet chuckle to myself at the time and thought 'Geez, this was going to be interesting'," Hughes's cousin Nino Ramunno recalled at the cricketer's funeral.

With every boundary, Hughes was winning more respect from the old boys. By the time he reached his century, concerns about Hughes' small stature and ability were forgotten.

"There was a loud applause and listening to the comments from the old boys ... you would actually think there was a six-foot man hitting every ball for four," Ramunno said.

"It was a great example of how Phillip let his performance do the talking."

As Fairfax Media's racing writer Adam Pengilly wrote last Saturday, this was also the same one-day game which Hughes won by hitting a six off the last ball.