Sumotori, the racehorse who had his underside split open in a collision with a broken running rail during a race, registered a maiden win at Matamata yesterday.
Sumotori received hundreds of stitches from Mosgiel veterinarians Peter Gillespie and Annemarie Wezenbeek in three-hour surgery to a 1.2m slice after he received the injury at Waikouaiti on January 1, 2011.
Sumotori was having his first start.
Gillespie described the injury as the worst he had seen, where the horse survived, in 30 years of veterinary practice.
He said it was very difficult surgery, with 90 to 120cm of lacerations involving severed skin and muscle.
Sumotori was nursed at Mosgiel by Zoe Miller.
The gelding returned to work with then Ashburton trainer Pam Gerard five months later.
He was placed in two starts for Gerard and then transferred to Jason Bridgman at Matamata when Gerard took employment with Te Akau Thoroughbreds.
Sumotori was having his second start for Bridgman yesterday.
Sumotori, a 4yr-old by Coat's Choice-Sumtime, is owned by Greg Jones and Christine Meechan, of Auckland, who bought Sumotori for $15,000 as a 2yr-old at the 2009 South Island sale.
• Mai Guru is a late entry at a fee of $1437 for the $225,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni on Saturday.
The acceptance fee for late entries is $3888.
Mai Guru, trained at Waiuku by Kevin Hughes and Dean Wiles, won at Woodville in January. The Ishiguru gelding subsequently finished fifth behind Ockham's Razor in the Karaka Million. Ockham's Razor was put aside for a spell after finishing second to Choice Bro at New Plymouth at his next start. He has since returned to Australia.
