WA pacer looking to end losing sequence

Veteran pacer Vultan Tin will resume racing after a six-week absence when he starts from barrier two in the 2536m All Tech-In July We Wear Pink Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night, and star reinsman Shannon Suvaljko is hoping the nine-year-old will end a losing sequence of 10.

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Suvaljko last drove the Phil Costello-trained Vultan Tin 11 starts ago when he set the pace and won the 2662m Narrogin Cup on March 20. Suvaljko also was in the sulky when Vultan Tin won the WA Pacing Cup from Chicago Bull and Mighty Conqueror early last December.

“We will come out hard and hopefully hold out Vampiro,” said Suvaljko. “If Vultan Tin leads he will be hard to beat.”

Vampiro, trained by Greg and Skye Bond, has excellent prospects at his third appearance after a spell. He is sure to derived considerable benefit from his two starts since resuming from a spell. He will be handled by Dylan Egerton-Green, who looks set to make a bold bid for the early lead after starting from barrier four.

Vampiro was a fast-finishing third behind Patronus Star and Major Times before he set the pace and dashed over the final 400m in 27.1sec. when beaten a head in the final stride by Chiaroscuro over 2536m last Friday week.

The Bond stable’s other runner Patronus Star also will have admirers, even though he is at a disadvantage of having to start from the outside barrier in the field of seven. The four-year-old Patronus Star will be driven by Ryan Warwick, who will be back in action on Friday night, refreshed after a winter holiday.

Patronus Star trailed the pacemaker Mighty Conqueror before finishing strongly to be a close second to his brilliant stablemate over a fast-run 2130m event last Friday night. At his previous start, three weeks earlier, Patronus Star led and won by a head from Major Times, with Vampiro a fast-finishing third.

Chris Voak, who brought up his century of winners for the season when Hotfoot It was successful at Northam last Saturday night, said that the Ross Olivieri-trained Major Times was capable of a bold showing. Major Times, who raced in the breeze and faded to sixth behind Mighty Conqueror last Friday night, will start from barrier six.

“Major Times will improve dramatically,” said Voak. “He was much underdone last week, and Ross has changed his training and is now working him on the track.”

Master trainer Gary Hall snr said that he was pleased with Ideal Liner’s third behind Mighty Conqueror last week but believes the six-year-old’s faces a tough task, while giving him a good chance of filling a place.

By Ken Casellas for Gloucester Park