By Tom Frary
So obviously a Stakes horse operating in handicaps, More Thunder (Night Of Thunder) shed his thinly-veiled disguise once and for all on Saturday to dominate Newbury's G2 Hungerford Stakes. Narrowly denied in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot before narrowly on top in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket's July Festival, the 6-4 favourite had ideal fast fractions to run at throughout the seven-furlong feature and delivered his customary powerful finale to beat the penalised Lennox winner Witness Stand (Expert Eye) by 2 1/4 lengths.
“He's fulfilling all that we expected and justifying what we thought of him–he felt so comfortable there, it's the best he's been in the prelims too so it was the complete performance,” jockey Tom Marquand said of the colt who William Haggas inherited from Sir Michael Stoute. “I was convinced that tempo was the problem in the Bunbury Cup and why he wasn't impressive there.”
“Today he was explosive through the last two furlongs, he can easily swing along at the tempo of six and could even get a mile at the right place. We have a tendency to pigeon-hole horses, but he could go different distances like the Australians do. The longer we've had him, the more we've noticed things about him and the small margins make a difference. There is the Foret and the Sprint Cup back at six and options at a mile–wherever we go, I'm sure they'll get it right.”
Campaigned initially over middle distances when with Stoute, More Thunder managed to win a novice over a mile and a quarter and perform to a useful standard at or around that trip but it was not until launched from Somerville Lodge over six that the latent talent spilt out. After a brace of handicap wins at that trip at Newmarket's Craven and Guineas meetings, he produced a remarkable late surge to miss out on the Wokingham by pixels but where fortune deserted him there it was on his side at the July Festival with the nod favouring him on the line.
Ordinarily, two photos in handicaps–albeit prestige heritage ones–wouldn't be enough to commend a horse stepping straight into Group 2 level, but with More Thunder there has long been a sense that we are watching a top-flight animal in transition. Haggas admitted to still being in the dark as to what category he fits into. “I still don't really know what his best trip is, but he seems to be getting better anyway and he was strong at the finish today, he wasn't stopping,” he said.
“I would say all options are open for him. We're in everything from six furlongs to a mile and he's won a Group 2 now, so we've got to go for another Group 2 or a Group 1 and it will just depend on how many more races we're going to give him this season,” he added. “He has been on the go for a while, so we will have to see. We've got lots to think about, but it's nice thinking.”
More Thunder and @TomMarquand win the Group Two Hungerford Stakes in emphatic fashion! 🏆@NewburyRacing | @WilliamHaggas pic.twitter.com/qvzzV3FeOf
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 16, 2025
Pedigree Notes
More Thunder, who becomes the 35th Group winner for his ascendant sire, is out of the Listed Cecil Frail Stakes winner Buying Trouble (Hat Trick) who was bred by the Niarchos Family. She is a half to the Listed Prix Francois Boutin winner and G3 Prix la Rochette runner-up Nucifera (More Than Ready) and a granddaughter of the Listed-winning Visions Of Clarity (Sadler's Wells).
A half-sister to Spinning World, Visions Of Clarity produced the Preakness and Maker's Mark Mile hero War Of Will (War Front) and the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes winner Pathfork (Distorted Humor). Her two-year-old filly is by Mehmas, while her yearling colt by Saxon Warrior sells at the upcoming Tattersalls October Book 2. She also has a filly foal by Too Darn Hot and is back in foal to Night Of Thunder.
Saturday, Newbury, Britain
VISIT MALTA HUNGERFORD STAKES-G2, £150,000, Newbury, 8-16, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:21.67, g/f.
1–MORE THUNDER (IRE), 134, c, 4, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Buying Trouble (SW-Eng & SP-Ire, $112,070), by Hat Trick (Jpn)
2nd Dam: Lotus Sutra, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Visions Of Clarity (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€270,000 Ylg '22 GOFOR; 190,000gns RNA 3yo '24 TATAHI). O-Saeed Suhail; B-Woodstock Bloodstock Ltd & Troy Bloodstock Ltd; T-William Haggas; J-Tom Marquand. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 10-5-2-2, $360,432. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Witness Stand (GB), 137, g, 4, Expert Eye (GB)–Respondez (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). (80,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE; 90,000gns RNA 2yo '23 TATAHI; 100,000gns 3yo '24 TATAHI). O-Scott Turner & Partner; B-Alvediston Stud; T-Dr Richard Newland & Jamie Insole. £32,250.
3–Marvelman (Ire), 129, c, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Varamini (Fr), by Siyouni (Fr). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (140,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-Mr & Mrs R M Gorell; B-Gigginstown House Stud; T-Andrew Balding. £16,140.
Margins: 2 1/4, HD, 3 3/4. Odds: 1.50, 6.50, 12.00.
Also Ran: Rage Of Bamby (Ire), Fair Angellica (GB), Spy Chief (GB), Great Generation (Ire), Alyanaabi (Ire), King's Gamble (Ire), Duty First (GB).
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