Sumthingaboutmaori, the former Australian trotting queen and Inter Dominion champion, left important winners in two different states within 45 minutes last Saturday night.
Gus An Maori, a product of the inaugural Australasian Premier Trotting Sale in 2013, came from near last to overwhelm his rivals at Menangle in a career-best 1:55.5min mile rate, while his younger half-sister Imamaorijet sat parked most of the way before winning the Aldebaran Park Sweetheart Trot Final at Melton.
A 10-year-old Angus Hall gelding, Gus An Maori was bred and is part-owned by Bryan Healy, who trained Sumthingaboutmaori throughout her glittering career. He is prepared at Cawdor by Blake Fitzpatrick, has now won 17 races – including the 2020 Breeders Crown Open – for $128,801 in stakes and is undoubtedly one of the biggest success stories of the APTS sales.
Imamaorijet, a five-year-old daughter of the French sire Quaker Jet, was bred by Pat Driscoll’s Yabby Dam Farms and is owned by the Gnotuk Equine Group and the Levarg Racing Group. She is trained by Paddy Lee and has won six of her 28 starts to date for $63,230 in earnings.
Sumthingaboutmaori, who won 31 races including eight at Group level, left five winners and four producing daughters. Agent Maori, a grandson of Sumthingaboutmaori, is a graduate of the 2013 APTS sale and has so far earned $227,981 to be behind only Big Jack Hammer ($406,372) and Cruisin Around ($292,692) on the all-time APTS money-winning list.
Other APTS sale winners this week were Used To Be A Maid (Ballarat), Bullion Harry (Bendigo) and Hammer Son (Geelong).
