Connections of star Finley-owned trotter Arcee Phoenix were delighted with a win in the $75,000 Maori Mile feature at the Bendigo Cup. Photos by Stuart McCormick.
Photo by
Stuart McCormick
Classy Finley-owned trotter Arcee Phoenix bounced back into the winner’s circle with a stirring win in the $75 000 Aldebaran Park Maori Mile at last Saturday night’s Bendigo Cup meeting.
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The win completed back-to-back to wins in the feature, having won it in 2024 when he accounted for Musa Metro and Queen Eldia.
The six-year-old son of Trixton has had a run of near misses which included eight top four finishes - including three in feature races in New Zealand - but hadn’t won for 10 starts.
His last win was recorded at Melton in March last year.
Arcee Phoenix was a certainty beaten when second at Cranbourne before lining up at Bendigo where he started second $3.30 favourite and ran down the $2.60 favourite Queen Elida in the home stretch with a powerful finishing burst.
He returned a slick mile rate of 1.55.7 for the 1609m (mile) dash which consisted of a blistering 27.1 last quarter and 55.8 last half.
It was Arcee Phoenix’s eleventh career win and boosted his prize money earnings to more than $367,000.
One of his owners is Finley butcher and former long-serving president of the Finley Football Club, Ashley Haynes.
Haynes and former Finley local and fellow butcher Chis Shaw were in the syndicate which bred Arcee Phoenix, who is now giving them a dizzy ride on the racetracks.
No doubt connections are now eyeing off the lucrative Great Southern Star feature at Melton early next month, among other upcoming feature races to add to Arcee Phoenix’s already impressive resume.
Arcee Phoenix was first past the post in race five of the Bendigo meet. Photos by Stuart McCormick.
Photo by
Stuart McCormick
