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Victorian trotter Arcee Phoenix (Trixton) achieved his crowning glory with an all the way harness racing win in the $500,000 Group 1 Ladbrokes Inter Dominion Trotters Grand Final at Albion Park on Saturday evening.
On his strength of his two placed Heat efforts, Arcee Phoenix was installed as favourite from the pole position for the testing 3157 metre journey.
And when the mobile was dispatched driver Chris Svanosio was able to held the lead despite a frantic effort by the New Zealander Bet N Win to wrest away the front.
Driver Bob Butt on Bet N Win made the wise choice to sit behind the leader. Queensland trotter Not As Promised went up early to race outside the leader. The other Victorian trotter Parisian Artiste secured the one out and one back trail.
And that’s the way the race continued. Both Oscar Bonavena and Gus were situated in the second half of the field and didn’t attempt to make any run at the mid way point.
It was obvious that Arcee Phoenix would be the one to beat even when Parisian Artiste loomed up on the outside. Bet N Win was saved for a late sprint but the bird had flown and Arcee Phoenix had plenty in reserve to defeat a spirited Bet N Win with Oscar Bonavena flashing home for third just in front of Gus who came from well back.
ARCEE PHOENIX JUL 19 REPLAY
Through virtue of his win, Arcee Phoenix has now won 17 races with sixteen placings for just over $1.106 million in stake money. In doing so he becomes only the fifth trotter to reach to $1 million mark the others being Just Believe, Sundons Gift, Keystone Del and Tornado Valley.
A happy Chris Svanosio stated
“I was quite confident but he was a bit keen in front. I was aware of Bet N Win behind me but he responded well.”
“We’ll get him home now and look to set him for the Dominion in New Zealand in November. We were very unlucky last year and we want to make amends.”
Bet N Win pulled a shoe in the first lap and that didn’t help his chances.
Arcee Phoenix has now established himself as the best trotter in Australia and he is set to take on the feature classics at Melton later in the year and early next year after his Dominion quest.
For complete race results, click here.
By Tony Milanese for Harnesslink
