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Two of Australia’s most talented Perth-bound harness racing pacers will chase the City of Melton Plate tomorrow night at Tabcorp Park Melton, but they should expect no white flag from the competing class.
Vince Vallelonga, trainer of well-travelled Major Crocker, is looking forward to the chance to again test his talented six-year-old against short-priced favourite Hectorjayjay and his recent conqueror Ohoka Punter.
Andy Gath’s Maximan, Brent Lilley’s Lets Elope and Geoff Webster’s returning dual Inter Dominion placegetter Flaming Flutter are among the challenges competing to add their names to the time-honoured plate, which bares the likes of Tailamade Lombo, Shakamaker and Sokyola.
“He’s been a revelation really,” Vallelonga said of Major Crocker. “He’s been a good horse all along.”
The six-year-old ran fourth behind Ohoka Punter and Hectorjayjay in July’s Group 1 Ubet Blacks A Fake, with his Melbourne return producing a Blacks A Fake Free For All win before a brief freshen up.
“He was due to race two weeks prior to his last start but he had a little bit of a bruised heel and we sort of backed off on him then, treated him and got it right, fronted him up last week,” Vallelonga told RSN’s Inside Word.
On return Major Crocker ran sixth. “He had a pretty tough run last week, but he has done good from it and I think will back up from it OK.”
He steps out tomorrow night from barrier eight, where he is drawn behind Flaming Flutter.
“It’s a bit tricky, we would have liked to have drawn the front row,” Vallelonga said. “If he’s taken no harm from his run last week, which I think he hasn’t, I think he will be really competitive, it just depends on his luck in running.”
Also needing luck will be stablemate Stunning Grin, a winner of two of his last four starts.
“(Stunning Grin) is one of those horses who always seems to be a step behind those top ones, but he can be like a sniper,” Vallelonga said. “He can be sitting there doing nothing and can be right in amongst the action. He’s just that sort of horse who has improved as he has gone along in better races and he hasn’t let us down either.”
It’s a similar story for Brent Lilley’s hope Lets Elope, who’s generally been found out of his depth against the top shelf but can also sniff out a chance. “He’s an opportunist, he will tuck in and hopefully get past a few. There are three or four that are probably going to beat him home.”
Lilley’s stable is likely to be more present in tomorrow night’s Group 3 for trotters, the City of Melton Scotch Notch Memorial, with Maori Time and Kyvalley Blur both among the leading chances. They will likely take vastly different runs at the $20,000 prize.
“They have both been racing really well,” Lilley said. “Couldn’t be happier with both of them, looking forward to tomorrow night.
“(Maori Time) is back on the front row, (driver) Anthony (Butt) will probably put the handlebars down and look to go for an all-the-way win.
“Kyvalley Blur’s best races have been when he’s been tucked away and has one run at them, so I imagine that’s how he will be driven. I think he’s going as well as I’ve ever had him going. Sure, he’s going to need a cart up, but if he is handy to them heading around the corner he’ll be finishing better than most I imagine.”
Michael Howard (HRV Media/Communications Co-Ordinator)
