Oh What a Night!

OH WHAT A NIGHT! 
Let go at 40-1 on the back of a 4 1/2-length defeat by Kingman (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the Apr. 12 G3 Greenham S. at Newbury, Saeed Manana’s Night of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) reversed that form in sensational style to prevail in yesterday’s G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Racing with only that rival behind early as he formed part of a six-strong breakaway group against the far rail, the chestnut allowed the 6-4 favorite first run but, despite veering sharply left in the final furlong overhauled him in the final yards to score by a half-length. “Richard [Hughes] has been saying all week that he has an unbelievable turn of foot and I was able to use that today,” jockey Kieren Fallon said after steering a fifth winner of this Classic. “He didn’t settle at Newbury, but they went faster today and he completely switched off. I thought he’d given it away, because I went to win easily and then he’s dived with me but he’s a good horse.” 

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain 
QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS S.-G1, £450,000, NKT, 5-3, 3yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:36.61, gd/fm. 
1–@sNIGHT OF THUNDER (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Dubawi (Ire) 
     1st Dam: Forest Storm (GB) (SP-Ire), by Galileo (Ire) 
     2nd Dam: Quiet Storm (Ire), by Desert Prince (Ire) 
     3rd Dam: Hertford Castle (GB), by Reference Point (GB) 
(32,000gns yrl ‘12 TATOCT). O-Saeed Manana; 
B-Frank Dunne (IRE); T-Richard Hannon; J-Kieren 
Fallon; £255,195. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, 
£287,165. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. 
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 
2–Kingman (GB), 126, c, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)– 
Zenda (GB), by Zamindar. O-Khalid Abdullah; 
B-Juddmonte Farms; T-John Gosden; £96,750. 
3–Australia (GB), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Ouija Board 
(GB), by Cape Cross (Ire). (525,000gns yrl ‘12 
TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael 
Tabor & Teo Ah Khing; B-Stanley Estate & Stud 
Company; T-Aidan O’Brien; £48,420. 
Margins: HF, HD, 2 1/4. Odds: 40.00, 1.50, 2.50. 
Also Ran: Shifting Power (GB), Charm Spirit (Ire), Noozhoh Canarias (Spa), Toormore (Ire), Kingston Hill (GB), War Command, The Grey Gatsby (Ire), Bookrunner, Master the World (Ire), Ertijaal (Ire), Outstrip (GB). 
Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, courtesy Racing UK. 
Introduced late in the season for a Richard Hannon-trained juvenile, Night of Thunder nevertheless looked every bit as professional and superior as some of the stable’s more precocious talents when scoring by six lengths in a six-furlong maiden auction race at Goodwood in mid-October. Chanced 13 days later in 
the Listed Doncaster S. over that trip, he received high praise from Richard Hughes, and it was a surprise to connections that he was brushed aside so readily by Kingman in the Greenham. Unswerving in his ambition to come to this Classic, Saeed Manana’s faith was fully justified under different conditions to those he had faced at Newbury three weeks earlier. Kept back by Kieren Fallon early as Noozhoh Canarias (Spa) (Caradak {Ire}) tanked along in front of the sextet towed across to the far side, the field split in two as it had in Rock of Gibraltar’s year in 2002 with Joseph O’Brien tacking Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) onto the heels of the eventual winner’s stable companion Shifting Power (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who in turn followed the stand’s-side leader Toormore (Ire) (Arakan). James Doyle made his move on J “TDN Rising Star” J Kingman passing the three-furlong marker, and as he gradually wore down the Spanish raider a quarter mile later, he was in front overall from Australia, who had mastered his peers from 2 1/2 furlongs out. With eyes on the favorites spread across the track, Night of Thunder emerged between them with a dramatic surge and, despite taking a diagonal approach to the line, was firmly on top when it arrived. “I was watching Toormore this side and didn’t really get a chance to enjoy it,” commented Richard Hannon Jr, who in his first season holding a licence emulated his father’s achievements in this race. “We always thought a lot of him and he’s done it well. He gets a mile, no problem, and he settled better today–he pulled a little bit in the Greenham. We’ll have to talk to [the owner’s Racing Manager] Bruce Raymond, but I’d imagine it will be either the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas [at The Curragh May 24] or the [June 17] G1 St James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot.” 

Under But Not Down… 
Aidan O’Brien had mixed feelings about the result, which saw the apple of his eye, Australia, beat all on his side only to lose out overall. “I’m delighted and he ran a great race, but we would have preferred it if the field didn’t split,” he said. “He had to get racing a bit early on this side to hold his position, but Joseph was always going to go where the pace was and he was drawn on this side. That’s racing. We’ll speak to the boys, but we always felt that the Derby trip was never going to be a problem. Today, he’s shown the class he was showing us at home, but is still a baby. On pedigree, you’d always say he was a Derby horse but he was working more like a Guineas horse. War Command (War Front) ran well and Ryan [Moore] said that having to start racing so soon on his side didn’t really suit him.” Connections of the runner-up were also reflecting on the tactical dimension of the race. “He ran a great race,” Khalid Abdullah’s Racing Manager Teddy Grimthorpe said. “The field splitting was not ideal, but that’s racing and we accept that. He has won his side of the field and we’ll have bigger disappointments than finishing second in a Classic. The ground was fine and the winner’s the winner, he won it fair and square. I imagine it will be the St James’s Palace, although Ireland’s not out of the question.”