Thunder Back in Action for Cleveland Bay Goal

Sprinting sensation Missile Thunder will begin his build up to winter carnival riches at Cluden Park tomorrow and his trainer is warning punters to tread carefully.

Missile Thunder, unbeaten in six starts, will return to the track in the Feed 2 Go Bm 70 Hcp (1000m) after a knee operation and almost a year off.

The exciting Smart Missile gelding last raced when he demonstrated his brilliant acceleration to win the $100,000 Townsville 2YO Classic last June but pulled up with bone chips.

His Tolga-based trainer Roy Chillemi said the now three-year-old was sound and fit despite the setback of a virus but faced a tough task first-up from a wide draw in barrier 10.

“He’s been in work for a long time and we’ve done everything possible to get him over his issues. The only hiccup I’ve had with him is this bloody virus, but his soundness has been good,” Chillemi said.

“I’ve given him a couple of gallops but I haven’t been able to gallop him hard because the track up here has been that wet.

“The thing about Thunder is, like everybody - not just me - we want to see how he goes in his first start back.

“He’s had no barrier trial, we’ve been galloping on a difficult wet surface up here, he’s had a knee operation, he’s got a bad barrier so there’s no pluses for him this time.

“He’ll have to do it on sheer ability and it’ll be a tough ask.

“We want to see the horse run well, finish off well and then we can go from there.

“I expect him to run a good race. He’s a horse that always tries.

“If he wins he wins but if he doesn’t there’s a nice Class 6 set weight 1200m (June 15) for him which will suit him down to the ground.”

Chillemi has big plans for Missile Thunder this campaign with Townsville’s sprinting jewel the $100,000 Cleveland Bay Hcp in August his main target.

He is planning to follow a similar path to the one he took with Grey Missile who won the big race as a three-year-old in 2018.

But with “Thunder” coming back from almost a year off to get over a knee operation, Chillemi first wants to see the gelding perform well and pull up sound in his first-up run tomorrow.

He’s engaged 3kg claiming apprentice Jade Doolan to reduce Missile Thunder’s weight tomorrow to 58kg against a strong field that includes last year’s Lightning winner Bakuhatsu.

Missile Thunder will head-up a big day for the Chillemi stable which will have 11 runners on the nine-event card.

The stable is also set to play a big hand with Palencia and Mystery ‘N’ Magic in the Hygain Open Hcp (1400m), The Wallet in the 2YO Mdn Hcp (1000m), Emathion in the C.U.B. Mdn Plate (1400m) and Go Getaboy and Neveton in the Mitavite 3YO Hcp (1000m).

The Wallet will be chasing a win to secure a start in the $100,000 Townsville 2YO Classic over 1200m on June 10.  

Pictured: Ready to rumble, Missile Thunder streaks clear to win last year's 2YO Classic to keep his unbeaten record intact. The brilliant sprinter returns from a long lay-off at Cluden tomorrow,.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.