06 December 2017 | Alan Parker
When 6yo Dawn Ofa New Day gelding Vultan Tin enters the track at Gloucester Park on Friday night for the $1.1 million TABtouch Inter Dominion Grand Final he will become just the 28th Western Australian bred runner out of 178 starters in Perth finals.
Vultan Tin is providing the dream of all hobbyists in harness racing in that he was bred by his owners Phil and Denise Costello and is trained by Phil on the same Coolup property where the gelding was born.
Friday night will be a couple of days short of three years since Vultan Tin broke his maiden status in a 3yo maiden Westbred race at Gloucester Park on Saturday 20th December 2014.
Willowcliffe was the sole WA bred in the final of the first Inter Dominion run on a Wednesday night – 19th February 1936.
A stallion foaled in 1925 and bred by F W Godecke and W P Baker he was a son of legendary sire Alfred Donald from the mare Miss Willow.
There has been at least one locally bred starter in every Perth Inter Dominion apart from 1940 when the field was dominated by progeny of Globe Derby and his son New Derby who produced five of the nine starters that year.
Western Australian bred horses dominated in 1957 providing six of the 11 starters.
Only one Western Australian bred has won an Inter Dominion final in Perth – Binshaw in 1967.
Three WA bred horses in San Simeon (1st in 1981 in Hobart), Red Vicar (4th in Brisbane in 1972) and Daintys Daughter (4th in Melbourne in 1970) have started in Inter Dominion finals in other States since Binshaw’s historic win.
The full list of Western Australian bred finalists in a Perth Inter Dominion follows;
| Winner | Date | Place | Breeder | Year | Sex | Sire | Dam |
| Willowcliffe | 19-02-36 | 8 | F W Godecke, W P Baker | 1925 | c | Alfred Donald | Princess Willow |
| Stormy Weather | 22-02-47 | 8 | N S Craven | 1938 | g | Peter Stretta USA | Miss Eileen |
| Kolrock | 22-02-47 | 10 | H H Richter | 1936 | g | Kolect | Miss Rock |
| Dixie Stretta | 22-02-47 | 2 | G F Fraser | 1937 | g | Peter Stretta USA | Lily Whips |
| Beau Don | 28-02-53 | 9 | L F Carter | 1948 | c | Don Sebastian | Nellies Vin |
| Jack Oro | 02-03-57 | 7 | W Clarke | 1949 | c | King Oro NZ | Jacks Queen NZ |
| Robert Sheen | 02-03-57 | 2 | A S Dreyer | 1949 | c | Prince Robert | Wilvasheen |
| Magic Flute | 02-03-57 | 6 | T Early | 1951 | c | King Oro NZ | Star Song NZ |
| Beau Don | 02-03-57 | 8 | L F Carter | 1948 | c | Don Sebastian | Nellies Vin |
| Precipitation | 02-03-57 | 3 | T Bell | 1951 | c | Wilver Mint | Grand Elect |
| Frosty Nelson | 02-03-57 | pu | E C Waters | 1949 | c | Nelson Direct | Heather Lu |
| Kolworth | 03-03-62 | 8 | J P Stratton | 1958 | g | Kolector | Ideal Girl NZ |
| King Capri | 03-03-62 | 9 | W Clark | 1956 | c | King Oro NZ | Jacks Queen NZ |
| Moonspeed | 03-03-62 | 13 | A G Richards | 1956 | g | Speedy Raider | Lady Monty |
| Super Paddy | 03-03-62 | 3 | H L Cheshire | 1956 | g | Superdel NZ | Dainty Patsy |
| Binshaw | 18-02-67 | 1 | B Cook | 1961 | g | Bintravis NZ | Panminton |
| Color Glo | 18-02-67 | pu | A M Ward | 1960 | f | Wrack Again | Mays Flame |
| Velocipede | 18-02-67 | 7 | L Baldwin | 1959 | c | Kellett | Alliteration |
| Haddock | 23-02-74 | 5 | J H Bele | 1969 | c | Admiral Way NZ | Snowbird NZ |
| Indian Chant | 19-03-82 | 9 | G M Ward | 1973 | c | Indian Lake NZ | Wexford Lass NZ |
| Paavo | 17-03-89 | 9 | A R Annear, D L Annear | 1983 | c | Afella Rainbow USA | Eldora |
| Norms Daughter | 15-03-96 | 5 | S D L Palmer | 1990 | f | Northern Lights USA | Aeroflight |
| Shattering Class | 15-03-96 | 8 | Patrician Park | 1991 | c | Golden Greek USA | Earth Shattering |
| Faking It | 26-03-04 | 12 | Lombo Standardbreds Pty Ltd | 1998 | g | Fake Left USA | Sassie Brassie |
| Buck The Odds | 26-03-04 | 11 | Allwood Stud Farm | 1998 | g | Million To One USA | Marilyn Ann |
| Nats Nifty | 26-03-04 | 7 | N M Poyser | 1995 | g | Trev Leo | Thrilling |
| Lombo Navigator | 02-03-12 | 3 | Lombo Standardbreds Pty Ltd | 2006 | g | Million To One USA | Lombo Anastasia |
| Vultan Tin | 08-12-17 | 3 | P J Costello, D A Costello | 2011 | g | Dawn Ofa New Day USA | Ellevarrac |
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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