Best foot forward

By Michael Howard (HRV)

While many of his rivals miss-stepped and galloped out of contention, Kyvalley Maven didn’t put a foot wrong in winning comfortably at Tabcorp Park Melton last Saturday, paying a handsome $14 to the trainer-driver’s surprise.

In the Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic for two-year-old trotting boys, Chris Svanosio said he really thought he was on the best horse in the race.

“He’s still got a fair bit to learn, but I was rapt with his (previous) run, running third at his first start in the heat during the week. We thought he could improve a fair bit.

“Obviously with a two-year-old trotter, he’s definitely got a bit to learn, so wanted to do everything right. They were doing things wrong all around him but he held it together terrific.”

The race required a restart after a number of initial gallopers, and soundness was again a problem when they finally got underway, with the winner the only entrant not to have a stewards’ black mark again his name.

Svanosio dropped from gate three to the back of leader Courages Law, who pulled in the run, with Kyvalley Maven pouncing off the final turn to win by four metres, with third placed Henrys Horse a further 20 metres in arears.

Svanosio said it was particularly pleasing to win for owner-breeder Jim Connelly, who paired stallion Tactical Landing with mare Kyvalley Paris to produce the little half-brother of Kyvalley Finn ($245,456).

“It’s terrific to win for Jim,” Svanosio said. “He’s one of the first to give me a horse when I went out on my own a few years back and he’s supported me each year with a well-bred trotter or two, so it’s terrific to get a result for him.

“There haven’t been many out of the mare and obviously (Kyvalley Finn) was just a great little horse for our stable, such a consistent, honest horse, this bloke’s got a really big future ahead of him we think.”