The 2025 campaign was a standout season for Chris Svanosio, headlined by his star trotter Arcee Phoenix.
Albion Park also holds fond memories for the Victorian, who landed a rare double on Inter Dominion Final night last year.
Svanosio scored in the two trotting features, claiming the ID Grand Final with Arcee Phoenix and the consolation event with Aldebaran Acrux.
Fast forward 12 months, and the man they call 'Snooza' will head north with an arsenal of stars in pursuit of successive championships.
While the next few weeks will be vital in finalising preparations for the team, Svanosio could potentially have six trotters contesting the 2026 Inter Dominion Championships.
Defending champion Arcee Phoenix heads the team and despite being winless since last year’s triumph, he has contested most of the major races in that time.
“He's had to sit parked outside some pretty smart horses,” Svanosio said.
“He wasn't far from Keayang Zahara a couple of times, so while he hasn't won, I've been pretty happy with his runs.
“I think he just had a lot of racing overall, over a long period and it might've been catching up with him a bit.
“To give him a month off after the Great Southern Star and a month off the track, at the moment, he seems terrific.”
After an easy trial at Kilmore for Arcee Phoenix, the screws were tightened with a Melton hit-out followed by a third trial on Tuesday afternoon in readiness for a race return this Saturday night at Melton.
Gotfeelingsyouknow, another of the Svanosio-trained Inter hopefuls, competed in Tuesday’s trial against Arcee Phoenix, but time might just be against him making the trip to Brisbane.
“He's still nominated and he's entered for Saturday night,” he said.
“He just had to have a little bit of time off, so he'd have to sort of bounce back pretty quickly.
“But, if he went really good the next couple of weeks, he's a chance.”
Aldebaran Acrux is one of several mares that look set to make the final 24 for the series.
“She probably just got beat for speed the other night, but she's the same," Svanosio said.
“She'll probably have one more run and if she goes really well, we will aim to have her up there, as well.”
Remus Phoenix is currently ranked seven and his trip north also seems secured.
“He'll probably, have one more run, as well, probably on Saturday week," he said.
“He's been racing pretty consistently and like most of them, he's probably going to need good draws and good trips.”
While the Inter team is shaping up strongly, it is unlikely that last start Nutrien Classic champion Aldebaran Ada will be seen in Brisbane for this year’s Queensland Constellations.
Despite her impressive win at Wagga, she looks set to bypass The Great Square.
“No one has rung and invited her,” Svanosio said.
“We've been pretty happy with what she's done, maybe next year.”
Svanosio is hopeful of following a similar preparation to 2025 and will float his team of stars north over two to three days.
Staying in Redcliffe, as on previous trips, he hopes to arrive in the Queensland sunshine six days ahead of the opening heats.
The wins may have been absent since the 2025 Inter Dominion, but Arcee Phoenix is ready to rise again.
