Arcee Phoenix may race in Dominion

Victorian harness racing trainer Chris Svanosio is considering another New Zealand campaign with Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) targeting November’s Group One Dominion Handicap.

The eleven win squaregaiter last raced in the $600,000 TAB Mobile Trot at Cambridge on April 12^th.

“He raced at Cambridge on the Friday night and was back here on Sunday. He went straight to the paddock because he’d been in work for 18 months. Yep, he’s back in work and looks fantastic. I’ll get him back up and give him a few trials from the stand. If he can have a couple of standing starts here and go terrific, he might come over for the Dominion. That’s a loose aim,” he said.

Svanosio is happy with the five year old’s New Zealand run but the gelding was coming to the end of quite a long campaign.

“Hopefully he can improve a bit more after the break. Just Believe might be getting over there, and there’ll be some good ones from New Zealand coming back so it won’t be easy.”

Meanwhile former New Zealand trotter Lovemeto (What The Hill) will do his future racing for the Svanosio stable.

“He’s in Australia, but he’s been at the Ballarat Vet Clinic to sort out a few wee niggles. He’s been out spelling and he’ll come here at the start of next month,” Svanosio said.

Owned by Graeme Rogerson and Merv and Meg Butterworth, Lovemeto has won five of his thirteen starts.

Last season as a three year old he won the Group One Northern Trotting Derby in the hands of Blair Orange and the Listed NZB Standardbred Million Three Year Old Trotter Final with Dylan Ferguson as the pilot.

He was then taken to Australia and he ran second at Melton before winning a heat of the Victoria Trotters Derby. He ran sixth in the Derby.

He had two more starts last season for a fourth and a nineth before he went back to Australia.

“I raced against him in the Derby last year. He came to my place and I took him up to the vets. He was a great three year old and he looked fantastic when he arrived from Rogies. There’ll be plenty of races for him if we can get him back and keep him sound.”

Svanosio is a dab hand with trotters. Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) has won eleven races and other winners for the stable include Branlo Prince (Orlando Vici) 15 wins, Kyvalley Finn (Skyvalley) 15 and Anywhere Hugo (Majestic Son) 14.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink