Inter Dominion trotting champion Arcee Phoenix took his first crucial step towards a huge New Zealand raid with eye-catching Melton trial on Tuesday.
Trainer-driver Chris Svanosio said he was thrilled with the six-year-old’s strong finishing second to fellow Inter Dominion finalist Parisian Artiste in the 2240m standing-start trial.
“It was great to get a standing trial given his main (NZ) target is the (Group 1) Dominion from stand,” Svanosio said.
“It was his first trial since he break after the winning the Inter Dominion, so we were there as much for practice from the standing-start as we were to do anything special
“But he stepped well, sat third and finished it off in really quick time behind Parisian Artiste.
“I’d call it an ideal kick-off and I’ll find another trial for him in the next week or two before we go back to the races.”
Arcee Phoenix’s first major target is the Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint, the trotting feature on the huge Victoria Cup meeting (October 18) where Leap To Fame and Swayzee will be the other headline acts.
“He’ll need a run before that, so I’ll find something around the end of the month,” Svanosio said.
“I’m really pleased how well he seems. He didn’t have that long off after the Inter Dominion, but he certainly thrived.”
Svanosio is weighing up two options for when he heads across the ditch for what will be Arcee Phoenix’s fourth trip to NZ.
“He won’t have a lead-up race over there, but if we went early we’d have the option of running the Cup Trials at Addington six days ahead of the Dominion,” he said.
“There’s the early option and one closer to the race, I’ll decide once we get him back to the races.”
Arcee Phoenix ran fourth behind now retired Aussie champion Just Believe in last year’s Dominion as well as fourth in the Group 1 NZ Trotting Free-For-All three days later.
He returned to NZ in April for the breakthrough “major” win of his career in the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot before adding the $500,000 Inter Dominion final at Albion Park on July 19.
More immediately, Svanosio has four runners at Melton on Saturday night, including two in the rich Nutrien trotting finals.
“Aldebaran Ada is by far my best chance of those two,” he said. “She ran a terrific race and worked home really well in her heat, while The Italian Dream will find it really hard from her draw in such a strong three-old fillies’ final.”
Svanosio also the ultra-consistent pacer Louie Lou I in race two and talented but injury-plagued trotter Gotfeelingsyouknow in race eight.
“Louie Lou I ran a terrific race outside the leader in the free-for-all last week, but it’ll be tough from outside the back row,” he said.
“Gotfeelingsyouknow is such a challenge to train with a lot of niggles, but the first run back from a let-up was good when he needed the run and he’s sure to improve again from that.”
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
PHOTOS:
Dan Costello
