Svanosio Dreamz of Bettor second up

Chris Svanosio will be hoping ‘Bettor’ times are ahead for his recent stable addition, who went awry despite big expectations on his Australian debut.

Fingers will be crossed that Bettor My Dreamz can make amends in tonight’s Oxley Feed Mill Pace, one of two runners Svanosio will take to his home track of Bendigo for its nine-race card that kicks off on Trots Vision at 5.25pm.

There were plenty of high expectations when Bettor My Dreamz debuted at Shepparton on August 4, with the four-year-old Bettors Delight gelding out of All My Dreamz, a half-sister to Im Corzin Terror ($513,219).

Victorian owners Merv and Meg Butterworth, Carol Simpson and the Maclean Family snapped him up in February 2019 with two New Zealand wins to his credit, including a $20,000 win on New Zealand Cup Day.

He would add another in August last year amid 13 starts in the hands of first All Stars Racing’s Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen and later Ray Green.

“He run a few good races in New Zealand,” Svanosio said. “I’ve always been watching him because Elizabeth (Maclean) and her family have been part owners all the time. He ended up on a hard mark pretty quickly, but has obvious ability.”

Last starting in New Zealand on November 1, he’d first trial for Svanosio at Kilmore on July 7, running third before first placings at Bendigo (July 19) and Maryborough (July 26), earning a place in Craig Rail's Trial File Blackbook.

“He’d had three trials and trialled better each time,” Svanosio said. “I was very happy with his last trial.”

And then came his debut.

“He was horrible at Shepparton,” Svanosio said of the August 4 run, when the $2.50 favourite advanced to the breeze and was the first horse beaten, eventually finishing last, almost 30 metres shy of the winner.

Making it all the more head scratching was that Bettor My Dreamz had no ill affects that would explain the performance.

“He pulled up really and has worked well since,” Svanosio said. “We checked him all out, he just seemed so well.

“I wouldn’t be racing him again if I thought he would run similarly. Hopefully he can show us a lot more than last time.”

Bettor My Dreamz will start from gate nine tonight and is likely to again carry punters’ favour and be a quaddie regular, and Svanosio said he would drive him with confidence.

“If I have to get going again I will,” he said. “On trials, he should be right to do whatever I need to do.”

Bettor My Dreamz is one of two Svanosio will race tonight, with four-year-old trotter Benji Hall looking well placed to register win number three from his 11th start.

“This is a bit easier than our last few starts,” Svanosio said. “He is back to racing horses who have won one or two races, with the horses who had been beating him home having won five or six his last few starts.

“I’ve been happy with his runs. He obviously needs to keep out of trouble early (in the standing start), but if negotiates a safe passage early he should be getting pretty close at the finish.”

HRV – Michael Howard