A bold front-running performance saw Mashle Wave claim the first heat of the 2024 GRNSW Thunderbolt on Friday night at WaggaWagga.
The Ken Gray-trained speedster fending off strong finishes from track record holder Agent Chevrolet and Brute Banner to take out the race by a clean length in 18.14, with the trio advancing to the June 16 semi-finals at Grafton alongside fourth placegetter Tiggerlong Gill.
“I was over the moon because I set the dog for the Thunderbolt. He had a couple of wins and placings leading into the heat but they were just a bonus because I had bigger fish to fry,” an excited Gray said on Monday morning.
“He’s been running great times at Temora and WaggaWagga in the last month and he’s a little flying machine. When he jumps out of the boxes he just goes and his last six runs have been exceptional.”
The son of Fernando Bale x Elusive Wave making it 13 wins from 30 starts for connections, with Gray’s decision to purchase the youngster from Perth back in April reaping instant dividends.
“He was racing at Mandurah for Glen McKinley and running some great times over the 400 there but in my eyes he is really a 300m to 350m dog. I thought if he’s running well over 400 in Mandurah, he should go OK here over shorter,” Gray added.
“I rushed him into that first run [a sixth-place finish at WaggaWagga on April 19] just to give him a look at the track but since then he’s had three wins and three seconds.”
“And he’s a little gentleman. Steve Kavanagh summed it up best when he said “a good dog does everything right”. He doesn’t bark or play around or chew things up, he’s got a great demeanour.”
Gray resisting the temptation to travel to Grafton this week for a trial ahead of the semi-finals, with the Young-based mentor hopeful the expansive Northern Rivers circuit will suit ‘Jacky’.
“Wagga is a small tight track and Temora has a tight turn too but I’ve been told Mandurah has a similar look to Grafton so hopefully he’s OK. He led every start at Temora into the home straight but just got caught going up the hill so that’s the only worry,” Gray said.
“He won’t race between now and June 16. I’ll give him a 400m slip at Temora on Thursday and Sunday and then he’ll be on the walker for a week, hopefully ready to jump out of his skin in the semis. He races a bit better on the fresher side anyway.”
WaggaWagga runner-up, Agent Chevrolet, had his four-win steak busted on Friday but lost no admirers in a largely 'off the track' effort from Box 8.
“I was happy with the run, especially as he was out three wide the whole trip really. The two dogs ahead of him early are pretty handy and quick early so he had to work hard to stay with them," Fothergill said.
"I didn't too much with him before the race because I tend to think he jumps better when he's fresher and I needed him to get out quick because I knew the field was pretty quick early. I was initially targeting the Goulburn heat but he knows Wagga...I just hoped there would be a bit less depth which wasn't really the case."
Agen Chevrolet with Jess Fothergill and Clint Colaiacovo after setting the WaggaWagga track record of 17.87 in April, 2024
“I'll work him up the straight at home over the next few weeks and then we'll head up to Grafton. He won't have a look there before the semifinals but he's a stronger type of sprinter so I think the big Grafton track will suit him better than WaggaWagga might anyway. The silent lure will be something different and a lot of people have told me you need to trial and experience it first, but we'll just see how he goes."
