Sofia and Gus mark another milestone

Swedish-born horsewoman Sofia Arvidsson couldn’t have hoped for a more satisfying first win as a harness racing trainer.

Arvidsson and her “project horse”, 10-year-old Gus An Maori (Angus Hall) have made some unforgettable memories already but added another to the highlight reel at only Arvidsson’s third start as a trainer.

“It’s hard to explain, but that horse just means so much to me – he’s been such a big part of my journey and it was really special to have my first win as a trainer with him,” Arvidsson said.

“I’ve been caretaker for a lot of winners and that’s been fantastic, but to actually have this horse under my name as trainer was very satisfying. Every win is special when you have had a lot of issues with a horse, and Gus An Maori has had a lot of issues,” she said.

Gus An Maori settled three back on the fence and pinged home along the rails in the Summertime Premium Poultry Trotters’ Mobile at Menangle on Saturday night, stopping the clock at 1:59.3.

The rejuvenated trotter looked retirement-bound before Arvidsson took him on as a special project in 2019 when she was at the Victorian stable of Mattie Craven.

Gus An Maori has had long-term hoof issues, and as well as working him under saddle, Arvidsson made him a guinea pig for a more European-style regime. She believed working the trotter only on a straight-line track was the key to his rehabilitation.

The pair went on to win eight races with Arvidsson in the sulky including the Group Two Breeders Crown Graduate at Melton before soundness issues resurfaced at the end of 2020 and the trotter again went to the paddock.

Owners Bryan Healy and Gus Lewis elected to send the trotter north to Sydney in April, and placed him with Arvidsson once she received her training licence about a month ago. The trotter finished fourth and third for Arvidsson before Saturday’s win.

“I really wasn’t sure how he would go because he’d had a bad hoof abscess that was still giving him a bit of grief. I’d actually told the owners he was only 75 or 80 per cent going into the race,” Arvidsson said.

“I haven’t got a straight track now, so I have had to change a lot with him, which has been a challenge. But I’ve had to change his training routine a few times over the journey. I know him inside out and can usually read him pretty well with what he needs.

“He’d been working well, and everything just panned out on Saturday night. We got a sit on the pegs and Gus loves that.”

GUS AN MAORI REPLAY

Arvidsson couldn’t be happier with the trotter’s work. He will have his next start at Menangle this weekend, and while she is keeping a lid on her expectations, she’s daring to hope.

“Menangle is such a good track for trotters and hopefully he’ll keep doing a good job. He felt really good so I’m hopeful he is on the way back to where he was,” she said.

“He was competitive with the best in Victoria when he was going around at his top. If we think he is where he needs to be, we might even nominate him for the Inter Dominion. It will be very tough to get in there, but we will see how he’s going.”

Arvidsson, who had no harness racing experience before arriving in Australia as a backpacker in 2019, recently shifted her small team to the Menangle complex.

“I’m just working my team and helping out another couple of trainers as well now, but I’m enjoying having the extra time to spend on my horses and doing the little things for them that I like to. It’s an adjustment, but there aren’t any fences to fix and no track to maintain – that’s definitely a good thing!” she laughed.

“I’ve always said I’m a better trainer than I am a driver, so I would like to increase my team a little bit and try myself out. I don’t want to go in too hard – just take it step by step and not throw myself in the deep end straight up. I definitely would like a few more trotters though if I had the chance!”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink