Chris Svanosio will be pleasantly surprised if his Inter Dominion Harness Racing champion Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) can first win in Menangle on Saturday evening.
The Millionaire Trotter is confronted with a discouraging task as the only rear marker of a 30m handicap in the Group 3 Menangle Trotters’ Cup.
“It is also only 2300 meters, which makes it even more difficult. I don’t know if even Maori’s Idool (a former Trotter Champion) could have won from there, especially in a huge (14 horses) field,” said Svanosio.
“But there is much more interest in this race than just having to win. It is a starting point this campaign, it is valuable starting exercise and it is a journey away from home, which will bring him even more.”
Making things even more difficult is the fact that two of his great rivals – Gus and Parisian artist – get Big Early Head with only 10 million handicaps. They ran fourth and fifth respectively behind Arcee Phoenix in the Brisbane Inter Dominion Final on July 19.
Arcee Phoenix and Parisian artist have not been racing since then, while Gus faltered the form with one subsequent Albion Park race for a stunning 20m victory on July 26 and then went for a break.
The trio is all on its way to NZ’s iconic $ NZ400,000 Group 1 Dominion Drot in Addington on November 11.
In the case of Arcee Phoenix and Parisian artist, they will collide at group 1 level on October 18 in the Bill Collins Sprint in Melton.
The couple has seen each other a lot lately and collide in both tests while they prepared for racing.
Parisian artist led to beat Arcee Phoenix in the first test, after which the Inter Dominion winner turned the tables when he led and won in Bendendo last Monday week.
The trainer of Parisian artist Alex “Alby” Ashwood was pleasantly surprised by the large handicap advantage.
“It is a ripper race, really strong, but Arcee Phoenix is ​​the class runner and getting a 20m handicap (edge) on him is a good leg,” he said.
“We were right with him in the two trials and ran home in 26.9 sec when he was second last week.
“But it is not a race with two horses. Gus is very good at its best and IM Bobby continues to win and flies (away) from the (standing start) tires, so that he could make light work of his 20m handicap.
“Our man is quite ahead in shape and I think this has brought him hard racing in the past 12 months, especially in Brisbane. I think he will be even better than he was there.”
It is important that the Paris artist led everywhere and Arcee Phoenix defeated in the second round of Brisbane Inter Dominion Heats, and that outside the level of a mobile start.
While Arcee Phoenix returns to Victoria for a 2760m standing race on Saturday week after Saturday after a 2760m race on Saturday week, Parisian artist will remain for another menangle run.
“That’s the way we lean,” said Ashwood. “Then go back after two menangle runs for the Bill Collins.”
IM Bobby, trained by hobbyist Eddie Tappe, contributes to the Powerhouse Victorian taste in the race on Saturday evening while haunting a remarkable eighth consecutive victory.
Amanda Turnbull, who drove him on Menangle on August 9, will take the reins again with regular driver James Herbertson who is committed to a series of Melton Drives on Saturday evening.
Through Adam Hamilton For Harness Racing Victoria
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