Vamoose Confirms No. 1 Status In Thunderbolt

STAR short-courser Vamoose has solidified his standing as NSW's number one sprinter with a dashing victory in The Thunderbolt (350m) at Grafton on Saturday night.

It was just three weeks ago that the son of Fernando Bale's The Thunderbolt hopes seemed in tatters when the prolific winning chaser was bundled out of the qualifiers at Gosford as a short-priced favourite.

But owner-trainer Sue Smith quickly turned her attention to the Grafton heats in a last ditch attempt to progress to the semi-finals and Vamoose didn't disappoint, stringing three wins together on end to race to The Thunderbolt glory.

Vamoose trained by Susan Smith has won the Worlds Richest Short Course event – 2023 GRNSW Thunderbolt Final at Grafton in front of a huge crowd in a time of 19.74 #thedogs #TheThunderbolt #thunderbolt #Grafton #GreyhoundRacing pic.twitter.com/wnvoxwaVci

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) June 24, 2023

Now a winner at 30 of his 53 career appearances, Vamoose's victory in the world's richest short-course race extended his prizemoney to almost $175,000.

And the resounding 2 ½ length win, in a flying 19.74, continued the amazing production line of gifted short-coursers bred by Smith and partner John Miles stemming back generations, but most recently via the deeds of Vamoose's dam Blue Thunda.

A winner at 18 of her 23 starts, in the breeding barn Blue Thunda has been nothing short of a revelation, with her offspring winning a remarkable 260 races and counting at a stunning win strike-rate of 34 per cent.

One of those offspring, Agnetha, is now a dam herself, and responsible for producing The Thunderbolt finalist Johnny Red which was never really in the hunt after bombing the start.

Finishing second in The Thunderbolt was a gallant Rushforth Ally for local trainer Des Winters while filling third was WA star Custard Monelli which was getting to the line hard.

A huge crowd packed into Grafton for The Thunderbolt meeting where one of the real highlights was the absorbing three-dog battle in the GRNSW Stayers Event (660m).

At the finish it was Nangar Rocket which reigned supreme over Respectability and Locked On Scotch in an absorbing battle over the 660 metre journey.