CHRIS Svanosio hopes a stellar 2018-19 harness racing year can be the building block to even bigger and better things this season.
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The young trainer-driver ended the season second among Bendigo region trainers with 43 winners. Only former five-time Victorian leading trainer Glenn Douglas notched up more (112).
Svanosio also steered home 68 winners as a driver.
It was in the sulky where Svanosio put the lid on a season to cherish, guiding the Sydney-trained Tough Monarch to Group 3 victory in the TAB Coulter Crown at Tabcorp Park Melton on Saturday night.
The seven-year-old lived up top his moniker with a tenacious win, to give Menangle trainer Rickie Alchin his 18th success with the gelding from 52 starts.
It was Svanosio' second win aboard Tough Monarch at Melton following previous success in June 2018.
The driver-horse combination also teamed up for a third in the Group 1 Australian Trotting Grand Prix in March, behind the David Aiken-trained Big Jack Hammer.
"(Tough Monarch) has come down to stay with me a few of times now - he's a pretty nice horse to have for a couple of weeks," Svanosio said.
"He's in the (Maori's Idol Trotters) Free For All against this Saturday night against Tornado Valley, Big Jack Hammer, Kyvalley Blur and all the big trotters, who have won multiple Group 1 races, and possibly going back to Sydney after that.
"We are happy to have him here.
"He's a big chance (in the free for all), he was terrific on Saturday night. It will be a tough test; there are some good trotters around.
"Kyvalley Blur has won half a million (in prize money) and Tornado Valley has won something similar. There were a few more horses in the noms, but the field has got whittled down to the very best."
Tough Monarch gave Svanosio his second Group race win for 2018-19, on the very last night of the season.
He notched his other in the Group 1 Aldebaran Park Vicbred Super Series Final for four-year-old entires and geldings with his own horse Kyvalley Finn in July.
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Those wins were just two of the highlights of a productive and ultimately hugely successful season.
"It was a great year .... obviously the biggest win was the Vicbred Super Sires with Kyvalley Finn, but I also spent about five weeks in America during the season," he said.
"We were very happy with the number of winners we got this season, hopefully we go even better this year.
"I have some nice horses here coming back, like Kyvalley Finn and Anywhere Hugo, and some nice young ones. There's every chance there's some nice ones among those."
There has been plenty of early success this season, with Svanosio scoring a driving double with Wild Imagination (Ruth Arthur) and Roslyn Gaye (Gary Merkel) at Echuca on Tuesday night.
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