Trots Centre: Wins in Play as Svanosio eyes Kilmore success

Chris Svanosio is eager to not be distracted by what might be, preferring to stay in the present as he prepares a talented team for tonight’s Kilmore trots.

Svanosio will have his third start since taking over as trainer-driver of Bruce Morgan’s highly touted pacer Bonus Play, who will share the convoy to Kilmore with promising two-year-old trotters Watch And Act and Whos The Man, and in-form pair Delightful Mia and Brandlo Prince.

“(Bonus Play) came to me to hopefully be racing at Melton each week in metro races, that hasn’t quite worked out yet, but hopefully that’s where he will be in a couple of months’ time,” Svanosio told Trots Talk.

“He had no luck last time, there was a bit of an incident on the first bend, he got run into and had a flat tyre, so that was just a forget run. I was rapt with his first-up run and he seems good this week, it’s a bit of a test for him but he should go pretty good.”

Bonus Play contests tonight’s Kilmore Men’s Shed Pace, to stream at 8pm on Trots Vision, along with stablemate Delightful Mia.

The Shadow Play gelding carried huge wraps amid a three-year-old season that produced five wins, but now at age five and some 55 weeks since his last victory the gloss, for some, may have worn off. Not for Svanosio.

“I’m just looking forward to the future, hopefully there’s a few wins ahead for him,” Svanosio said. “He’s a magnificent looking horse, he’s a magnificent pacer, he’s got a lot of ability. Hopefully we can get a bit of consistent racing into him. We are not making big plans, we’re just worrying about Kilmore for a start.”

Victory tonight will be hard-earned, with War Dan and Professor Tom expected to dominate betting, while Bonus Play's stablemate Delightful Mia, to be steered by Lisa Miles, is also likely to earn support.

“Delightful Mia’s just racing consistently and working into a bit of fitness,” Svanosio said. “She might be able to find the top and over the mile that’s always been one of her strengths.”

The following race on the card is the Claire Western Photography Trot, when Svanosio has gelding Brandlo Prince, who’s gone two-from-two since joining the stable on lease from Yabby Dam Farms.

He faces a stern test tonight, with Lisa Miles’ Powderkeg, Brent Lilley’s Storm Cloud and Michael Hughes’ Is That A Bid among the challengers in a race that further reinforces the strength of trotting in the East region.

“Brandlo Prince has got three or four trotters that look like metro trotters to go around against, but he’s won both his races for us and been terrific both times, so hopefully he can get the cash again.”

Svanosio’s other involvement is having a pair step out in the Fiberprotect From Hygaine 2YO Trotters Handicap, with Skyvalley gelding Watch And Act and Angus Hall gelding Whos The Man having both placed in their previous starts.

“You do a lot of work with them, getting them educated and watching them develop. I was rapt with both of them last week at Kilmore,” he said.

“Whos The Man did a terrific job his first start, stepped away and went around and found the front. Got a bit lost out in front, but he was very good. And Watch And Act definitely improved from his first run.

“They are going good, but they have a couple of good ones in their race (tonight), Aldebaran Zeus and Here Comes Kyvalley both look like very smart horses, so it will be a fair test for them.”

While Svanosio has an eye to the future with both, he’s also adamant on what is the immediate task at hand.

“We’re out here to win races, I’m hoping they can win (tonight), but realistically if they can have a few runs and get a bit of experience, then maybe they have a little of a break and we might be able to aim at the sires races or Redwoods if they are programmed and everything gets back to normal,” he said.

“It’s a bit hard to make too long term a plan, they are going good, they have improved, we will be trying to win (tonight) with them.”

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