Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Evergreen millionaire pacer Vultan Tin will return to racing after a six-month absence when he contests the $25,000 Catalano Trucks And Used Truck Sales Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The eleven-year-old, trained by Dan Costello and to be driven by Chris Voak, will start from the outside in the field of five and should perform strongly, following a smart trial win at Pinjarra on Thursday of last week.
He dashed to the front after 500m in the three-horse trial over 2185m and relished his pacemaking role to win by two lengths from Doc Holliday, rating 1.55.8, with final quarters of 29sec. and 28.3sec.
Vultan Tin, winner of the WA Pacing Cup over Chicago Bull and Mighty Conqueror in December 2020, has a losing sequence of 13 since he set the pace over 2536m and won at a 1.56.5 rate from Lavra Joe and Jumpingjackmac at Gloucester Park in August 2022.
He will clash with four pacers who have been racing in sound form, with the polemaker Hoppys Way likely to prove hard to beat from the No. 1 barrier, following his good frontrunning performance when beaten in the final stride by Wonderful To Fly in the Group 2 Four-Year-Old Classic last Friday night.
A fortnight earlier Hoppys Way set the pace when a close third behind Star Casino and Alcopony, rating 1.57.7 over 2130m. A week before that Hoppys Way led and won from Mr Fantastic over 2130m.
The Jemma Hayman-trained Born To Boogie will also have many admirers. She ran home solidly to finish third behind Simply Shaz and Wonderful To Fly in the 2536m Mares Classic last Friday week. That effort followed a fast-finishing win over Montana Glory and Taking the Miki and a sound third behind Beyond The Sea and Wonderful To Fly at her two previous starts.
Born To Boogie has led and won four times at Gloucester Park, but she is essentially a smart sit-sprinter. Tactics will be extremely important in Friday night’s race, with Chris Lewis certainly hoping that Mitch Miller will race in the breeze with Classic Choice, which would enable Born To Boogie to enjoy a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position.