Brilliant Major Shooting For Nine Straight At Nowra

Brilliant by name and brilliant by nature.

That's the most apt way to describe gifted short-courser Brilliant Major which will be shooting for nine straight wins at Nowra this Thursday night.

The Mick Clayton-trained speedster has amassed 18 wins from 34 career starts and with a further 12 placings has missed a prize money cheque on just four occasions.

"With a dog like him it makes going to the races a lot of fun," Clayton said.

"Every win he notches up means he's closer to a loss but he's as close to bulletproof as you'd get.

“He's not sensational out of the boxes but has that great early pace and does things right in his races. They're not easy to find.”

Brilliant Major will exit box one at Nowra on Thursday night, the son of Fernando Bale and Quiet Brilliant yet to miss a place in seven starts from the prized rails draw.

"He's got the wood on the sprinters down south here – he just gets the job done," Clayton said.

"You'd love a kennel full like him. He only broke in fair but has just kept on improving.

"He actually got beat his first two starts and was a bit inconsistent early on. He won his third start at Nowra in 20.56 and has gone on from there.

"He loves Nowra – he won the Nowra Blitz last month which is the club's major sprint race."

Clayton has earmarked next month's Goulburn Fireball (350m) as a potential target for Brilliant Major where he could be joined by his hugely talented litter brother Romeo Romeo.

"He hasn't raced since June but I'd say he is quicker than Brilliant Major," Clayton said.

"He's had what I'd call a stupid injury. He split the skin from one side to the other under his stopper and it's split a few times now.

"Anywhere else it would've been a two week setback. But he's right to go again now. But it's been frustrating missing three months with a nothing injury."

Romeo Romeo has won nine of 16 starts including a blinding 19.51 at Goulburn.

"Both dogs will run 450m but with the prize money being the same there's no real point in pushing them if you don't need to," Clayton said.

"I haven't overdone it with them either; they're only 2 ½ so there's plenty of racing ahead of them."

Clayton has a team of eight engaged at Nowra this Thursday night where he's confident Sutton Grace can breakthrough for an overdue maiden win in the Shoalhaven Battlers (520m).

A new initiative by the club, the race is open to maidens which have had six or more starts without success.

"They have pathway maidens in Queensland and they are very popular," Clayton said.

"Sutton Grace should be hard to beat on Thursday. She goes good but has had no luck at all to start her career.

"Five of her nine starts have been from box seven and it's knocked her confidence around.

“But she gets a good chance in that grade of maiden on Thursday. It's a good initiative by the club. Should be more of it."