Inter Dominion hero Arcee Phoenix is getting serious in his preparation to chase another major win.
Trainer-driver Chris Svanosio said the six-year-old was “just a few weeks away from a trial”, having not raced since winning the Brisbane Inter Dominion final at Albion Park on July 19.
“He was back home the Tuesday after the Brisbane win and had a few quiet weeks, but we’ve cranked things up again,” he said.
“He loved the time off and bounced back quickly. I’m really happy with him.
“Another couple of weeks work and he’ll be set to trial and then we’ll start a campaign aimed at getting him to Christchurch in November.”
The major target is the Group 1 Dominion Trot – NZ’s most famous trotting race – run at Addington on NZ Cup Day (November 11).
The Dominion is a 3200m standing start race, so Svanosio knows he needs to be strategic in the lead-up racing.
“Standing start practice, in races not just trials, is what we’ll be targeting,” he said.
“If that means mixing races here with a trip to Menangle to find suitable standing starts, then we’ll do it.
“It wasn’t ideal when he went across for the Dominion last year with really limited standing start experience, but we looked at it as a way of building a foundation to come back 12 months later with a more experienced and seasoned racehorse.
“We think we’ve got that with the year he’s had and now it’s down to getting more standing start practice.”
Svanosio said the $60,000 Group 1 Bill Collins Sprint on Victoria Cup night – Melton, October 18 – would be Arcee Phoenix’s lone major target before crossing the ditch.
“The plan is to have the standing start racing done by then, switch to the mobile for the Bill Collins and then get across to NZ,” he said.
Arcee Phoenix is a seasoned traveller, especially to NZ, where he has already been three times, most recently winning the huge TAB Trot at Cambridge in April.
“The travel doesn’t bother him,” Svanosio said. “But part of the reason for the first two trips was to prepare him for later in his career, which is now when he’s at his absolute peak.
“As big a thrill as it was winning the TAB Trot, especially being his really big breakthrough win, it would be even better winning the Dominion because of the history behind the race, which is a big thing to me, and the great horses that have won it over the years.”
More immediately, Svanosio has three runners across two races at Melton on Saturday night.
Remus Phoenix has a wide draw (gate seven) in race two, while Promise Dream (gate 10) and Kyvalley Maven (12) tackle race four.
“I suspect it’ll be a tough night for the team,” he laughed. “Kyvalley Maven would be the best of them, but he’ll need luck from that draw.
“Remus Phoenix has been freshened, will need the run and is drawn wide. Then, although Promise Dream won a couple of starts back, she’ll need a lot of luck to get another win in a race like this.”
PHOTOS: Dan Costello
