Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Evergreen millionaire pacer Vultan Tin is far from a spent force. He provided emphatic proof of that when he crushed his younger rivals in the $30,000 Thank You Cruz, Love Noah Free-For-All at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The ten-year-old will line up for his 209TH start when he contests the $50,000 August Cup next Friday week, with long-range plans centred on the $300,000 Fremantle Cup and the $450,000 WA Pacing Cup in January.
“He missed the WA Pacing Cup last summer when he didn’t have enough form after unplaced runs from wide barriers,” said Phil Costello, who bred and owns the hardy gelding with his wife Denise.
Vultan Tin gave a sample of his ability when he finished fourth behind Lazarus in the Interdominion Championship final in December 2017, and again when he won the WA Pacing Cup from Chicago Bull in December 2020.
“The Pacing Cup over 2936m is his forte,” said Costello. “And we’re looking forward to running in the big race again next January.”
Vultan Tin now has raced 208 times for 32 wins, 53 placings and stakes of $1,047,884, and he is showing no signs of slowing down or losing his competitive spirit.
Costello said that the secret of Vultan Tin’s longevity was quite simple. “It’s just a lot of care, we look after every aspect of his body,” he said. “We look after his nutrition, and we spend a lot of time and patience with him.
“We have never had an ounce of trouble with him. We look after his legs, and he always wears Back On Track gear on his front legs, which keeps them warm and helps his circulation.”
Vultan Tin, trained by Costello’s son Dan, was a $15.40 chance from the No. 1 barrier in the six-horse field on Friday night, with the nine-year-old superstar Chicago Bull the $1.90 favourite from the No. 2 barrier.
Vultan Tin was driven with commendable aggression by Mitch Miller, who gave the oldtimer’s rivals little chance by setting a fast pace in the 2536m event. Chicago Bull raced in the breeze before fading to finish last.
“Mitch is a very underrated driver who drives horses to their ability,” said Phil Costello. “The plan tonight was to lead and go hard all the way. That’s how Vultan Tin runs; he can run hard all the way.”
He sped over the 400m sections of the final mile in 29.5sec., 28.5sec., 28.2sec. and 28.7sec. and he rated 1.56.5 in beating $5 chance Lavra Joe by two lengths. Lavra Joe performed strongly in finishing solidly from last at the bell, while Jumpingjackmac ($5.50) was third after enjoying the one-out, one-back trail.