Night of Thunder (Ire)

It may have been super-smooth at Newmarket, but Tuesday's G1 St James's Palace Stakes offered a different test to Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) which he was able to pass and at the same time show his other side. Whereas Billy Loughnane had enjoyed a trouble-free run through the 2,000 Guineas, this was a messy affair with some scrimmaging but the imperturbable rhythm of George Boughey's luminary saw him once again get there in front of Gstaad (Starspangledbanner). At the line, it was a short head this time but that...

Continuing the recent trend of big-priced winners in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne Stakes, TBT Racing's Ten Bob Tony swooped to prevail at 50-1 from More Thunder and lead a notable one-two for Night Of Thunder. Anchored in rear early by Kieran Shoemark, the Ed Walker-trained gelding was the last to make his move into the strong pace set by Billy Loughnane on Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) but his closing run proved the strongest as he overhauled that rival and More Thunder in the final yards. At the line, there was...

Cheveley Park Stud's five-year-old distaffer Estrange (Night Of Thunder) suffered a pair of Group 1 reversals after annexing last term's G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes and G2 Lancashire Oaks, and she regained the winning habit with a decisive victory in this year's rescheduled renewal of the former contest at Carlisle. "She is hardly blowing and doesn't even look like she has had a run really," Chris Richardson said of last year's G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares runner-up. "She has done it very nicely and she...

Coming back from a break under a penalty, Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) would have been forgiven an honourable defeat in Thursday's G3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes but duly showed his class to land the spoils ahead of his big test at Royal Ascot. Runner-up in this to Almaqam 12 months ago, the John and Thady Gosden-trained triple Group 1 winner was 2-5 to deliver and after a tussle with the progressive Gethin (Ghaiyyath) had a neck to spare at the line. There was another three-length margin back to Almeric (Study Of Man)...

The word was out for Night Of Thunder's daughter Silent Beauty at Yarmouth on Wednesday and Amo Racing's €1million Goffs Orby Book 1 buy lived up to the hype to become her sire's seventh TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. Sent off the 5-4 favourite for the six-furlong two-year-old fillies' maiden on the rain-hit fixture, the Kevin Philippart De Foy-trained daughter of the Matron Stakes heroine No Speak Alexander (Shalaa) cruised near the pace throughout before being given the office by David Egan two out. Soon clear, the diminutive starlet...

City Girl, whose career was interrupted by a nearly two-year absence, earned her second straight win and first graded triumph in the GIII Beaugay Stakes at Aqueduct Sunday. The bay mare, sent off at 7-2, contested the early pace with longshot Mo Fox Givin, but was taken in hand and let that rival go down the backstretch. The field bunched up behind her as Mo Fox Givin completed the half-mile in :48.90. Laurelin was first to overake the pacesetter, but City Girl tipped out three wide for clear sailing between...

A wide-open G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas on paper turned into a two-horse race approaching the final furlong and then a singular domination from Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) as George Boughey's TDN Rising Star dismissed his only threat Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) with a mighty display on Newmarket's Rowley Mile. Delivering poignancy as well as class carrying the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, the 9-2 shot brushed aside the 3-1 joint-favourite Gstaad heading to the closing stages and powered to an emphatic 2 3/4-length victory in a fast 1:35.59. There...

Signs at Newmarket on Friday were that the William Haggas stable is taking off and the best of his trio that came home first on the card could turn out to be the Listed King Charles II Stakes winner Saber Strike (Night Of Thunder). Seen only once at two when successful at Redcar in November, Victorious Forever's 230,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase was delivered from last by Tom Marquand to surge by Cerro Blanco (Wootton Bassett) a furlong out and take the seven-furlong contest by 1 1/4 lengths from...

Juddmonte homebred Sunly (Night Of Thunder) had been on an extended sabbatical after surrendering her perfect record in last July's G2 Prix de Malleret and bounced back on seasonal return to regain the winning thread in Friday's G3 Prix Allez France at Saint-Cloud. The Francis Graffard trainee went postward as the 12-5 joint-favourite and settled into a smooth rhythm, racing off the pace in sixth for Christophe Soumillon, after the initial exchanges of this 10-furlong test. Making eyecatching headway out wide once into the straight, she quickened into contention with...

Ballydoyle's Precise (Starspangledbanner) will face 18 peers in Sunday's G1 Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, with Ryan Moore set to partner the Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies' Mile winner for the first time. She is drawn two for the mile Classic, with one of her chief rivals Venetian Sun (Starman) next door in stall one furthest away from the stands' rail. Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's Prix Morny winner is one of two in the race for Karl Burke, with her regular rider Clifford Lee maintaining the partnership. Burke's other runner...

Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) will face 14 rivals as he carries the silks of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid in Saturday's G1 Betfred 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Unbeaten at two, the George Boughey-trained G2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner is the current favourite under Billy Loughnane who is looking for a first Classic victory, with that position at the head of the market not guaranteed now that Ballydoyle and Godolphin's plans are confirmed. Bow Echo was drawn on the wing in 15 nearest the stand's rail, the position of last...

There was a buzz about Ombudsman's sister Synchronicity ahead of Friday's seven-furlong debutantes' event at Newbury and it was all very straightforward as she provided Night Of Thunder with his sixth TDN Rising Star, Presented by Hagyard. "It's the manner in which she did it, it was all was very smooth and she got there very easily," jockey Kieran Shoemark said. "Her gallop out impressed me the most, she was strong through the line and she's exciting. She has such an economical way of going and goes through the gears with...