By Tom Frary
A maiden entering Saturday's G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes at Navan, Shapoor Mistry's Thundering On (Frankel) relished the step up to middle distances to stake her Classic claims.
As a daughter of the owner-breeder's Pretty Polly heroine Thundering Nights (Night Of Thunder), the rise to this extended 10-furlong trip was ideal and once Joey Sheridan pressed the button approaching the final furlong the outcome was not in doubt.
At the line, the Oaks entry had 3 1/4 lengths to spare over the Donnacha O'Brien-trained Emmeleia (Camelot) as the fillies with prior runs this term had the edge over the seasonal debutantes.
“She's very classy and as with her dam this step up to a mile and a quarter suited,” Sheridan said of the 11-4 favourite. “She was green when she got there, so there's plenty of improvement to come.”
Once introduced at The Curragh in early October, things moved quickly for Thundering On with an engagement in that track's G3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes coming later that month. Second to Ballydoyle's Sugar Island (Dubawi) there, the homebred had come up short against another Group-placed maiden in Skydance (Night Of Thunder) on her return at Leopardstown 13 days on what will probably prove her final start at a mile.
Joseph O'Brien added, “I thought she was impressive and she had a big turn of foot. Her dam was a great filly for us, and it is nice that she is following in her footsteps. We might look at something like the Prix de Diane now for her.”
Oaks filly?
Thundering On (Frankel) looks good on her return in the Group 3 @IrishEBF_ Salsabil Stakes for @joeysheridan8 and @JosephOBrien2 @NavanRacecourse pic.twitter.com/kApAOfJBLi
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 25, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Thundering On is so far the sole foal out of the aforementioned Thundering Nights, who alongside her Group 1 triumph at The Curragh also captured the G3 Snow Fairy Stakes there and was placed in the Prix Jean Romanet and the GII New York Stakes. She descends from the Nell Gwyn winner and Prix Vermeille runner-up Cloud Castle (In The Wings), which links her to a host of high-class performers including the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Queen's Trust (Dansili).
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