Emerging training force Chris Svanosio is pinching himself about just being involved in Friday night’s $NZ600,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge Raceway.
Add to the fact his exciting young trotter Arcee Phoenix has drawn ideally in gate two and the Victorian horseman admits his anticipation is “off the charts.”
“Here I am against Purdon, Alford, Sugars and the Hopes in the richest trotting race ever run in the Southern Hemisphere, of course I’m excited,” he said.
“As a stable we’ve worked hard to build-up and had a focus on the trotters, it feels like all the work has come together when you’re in a race like this with a winning chance.”
Svanosio admits to being thrilled when Arcee Phoenix, who led and beat Just Believe last start, drew inside most of his main dangers in gate two.
“It definitely helps … a lot,” he said.
“His gate speed has been improving all the time and even though he’s not the fastest out, hopefully he can do enough to find the front. That’s where I’d love to be because he’s so good in front.
“Queen Elida gets out quickly, so she’ll hold the aces from the pole, but our job is to try to hold those outside us and hope she’s happy to take a trail.
“Callmethebreeze can obviously get out quickly, too.”
Arcee Phoenix galloped just before the start point of the Gr.1 Hammerhead at Menangle two starts back when Callmethebreeze whizzed to the front and won as he liked.
But Svanosio isn’t too worried about that.
“He got it wrong in Sydney, but I had him a bit too fresh and the release point being halfway down that long Menangle straight threw him a bit,” he said.
“Cambridge is more like Melton or Bendigo in size and starting point and that’ll suit him a lot better. I don’t think the start will be a problem, I just hope he gets out as quickly as he can.”
Arcee Phoenix arrived at Graeme Rogerson’s stables early last Thursday and Svanosio took the five-year-old into the Cambridge track for a look around “and solid workout” yesterday (Tuesday) morning.
“It was his last fast workout, so we got serious and he worked with a pacemaker,” he said.
“He handled the track well and the surface was great. I couldn’t be happier with how he handled the trip and settled in.
“It’s such a thrill being part of a race like this. What an amazing field it is.
“I think we’ve got a trotter good enough to really make his presence felt, especially now we’ve drawn so well. I can’t wait for the race now.” – Adam Hamilton
