Nicholls' TAB Golden Greys Summer Carnival hopes with Days Of Thunder

By Jordan Gerrans

Warren Nicholls has been forced into a change of plans with promising stayer Days Of Thunder following her dominant performance at Albion Park on Thursday evening.

The Churchable trainer was happy poking along from week to week with the young dog in recent weeks but after the five-length victory over 710 metres in a Grade 5 race in a time of 42.27 seconds, he is starting to think big with the bitch.

Out of a Fernando Bale and Melissa's Pride litter, Nicholls will now turn his attention to the Listed Gold Cup over 710 metres in the upcoming TAB Golden Greys Summer Carnival.

With the carnival still a few weeks away, the kennel will put Days Of Thunder through the grades before stepping up to the Gold Cup.

“I will look towards our summer carnival now in Brisbane and then we may look to Sydney,” Nicholls, who has trained seven winners so far this month, said on Friday morning from his kennel.

“I was just going week-to-week with the dog but after a win like this, we will need to sit down and have a good look at where we can take her.

“The carnival up here will be the priority at first and then we will worry about what is on down south after that.”

Thursday night's effort over 710 metres was Days Of Thunder's first time at the extra distance, going over 630 metres at Ipswich on three separate occasions before - for one victory. 

Jumping with the green rug on, the white bitch was able to avoid some early trouble and shot away in the opening stages and never looked like being run down from then on.

Nicholls, who has 70 dogs on his property with 34 in kennels, was over the moon with the striking performance, just the bitches third career victory from 12 starts.

“It was sensational really for where she is at,” he said.

“We had trialled her over it so we thought she could run the time or a bit better, but it was pretty impressive the way she jumped out and stuck it to them.

“I did not think she would lead the Burman’s dog (race favourite Smart Lilly), I thought we would be chasing it, but she stuck it to them.”

Owned by Clinton Gill, Nicholls always felt Days Of Thunder would be suited to the staying trips but she certainly got there earlier in her career than he ever expected she would.

“Her mother was a very good stayer, a Group stayer, and this girl over the short distances, her speed is lacking,” he said.

“Being small, she is not too brave, but she has always shown she would get further and that is why we have had a go at it, even though she is pretty young.

“There was no alternative, racing over the 520 metres did not suit her with her lack of size and how she is.

“If she can get clear running, she just wins up and goes.

“When she gets the roam, she can go as she has always shown she can be a 600-700-metre dog.”

The Nicholls kennel heads to Ipswich on Saturday with Sky's The Limit before they take two other kennel mates to Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club on Sunday.