Night of Thunder (Ire)

Forz Europe's G2 Debutante Stakes third Evolutionist (Night Of Thunder) closed her juvenile campaign with a podium finish in the G1 Fillies' Mile and punched her ticket to a Classic campaign with an impressive tally in Sunday's one-mile G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp. "We've run a few nice horses in the last ten days or so and a few have disappointed," admitted Karl Burke. "I don't think the string is in top form, but it's nice to see her do that and I'm very, very happy. We always...

Reappearing for the first time since debuting in a hot Newmarket July Festival maiden, Amo Racing and Valmont's Billecart (Night Of Thunder) made light work of his Thursday assignment at Newcastle to keep Classic dreams alive. Far too strong for his three peers in the mile novice on the Tapeta, the 380,000gns Tattersalls Book 2 purchase will be campaigned with the 2,000 Guineas and Irish equivalent in mind according to Karl Burke. "He had a little injury last year, but sometimes they can be a blessing and he's one of...

John and Thady Gosden like to unveil one of their nicer Classic prospects at Kempton and Wednesday evening saw the pricey newcomer Asmeralda (Night Of Thunder) follow the trend. Always travelling easily for Oisin Murphy in division one of the seven-furlong fillies' novice on the card, Imad Al Sagar's €640,000 Goffs Orby Book 1 graduate moved to the front approaching two out with only the 5-6 market-leader Pierchic (Palace Pier) to beat. Always comfortably holding that half-sister to the Oaks runner-up Dance Sequence (Dubawi), the 11-10 second favourite held a...

Saturday's G1 Qipco Champion Stakes will feature all the big guns, with Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), Delacroix (Dubawi), Calandagan (Gleneagles) and Economics (Night Of Thunder) set for a memorable showdown. There will be 11 in the line-up for the feature, where the draw has not been kind to Ombudsman and Economics in nine and 10 respectively but has been to the race's most intriguing runner Almaqam (Lope De Vega) in stall one. There will be 16 lining up for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with Juddmonte and the Gosdens'...

Left out of most equations following his fourth in the Champagne, Yuesheng Zhang's Gewan (Night Of Thunder) bounced back in style on unseasonably quick ground to cause a 25-1 upset in Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes. Always in the front line under James Doyle, the Andrew Balding-trained grey who had earlier won the Acomb at York drifted over to the stand's rail but maintained his momentum to deny Ballydoyle's well-backed 7-4 favourite Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) by 3/4 of a length. Godolphin's Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) was 1 1/2 lengths away in...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's Listed Flying Scotsman runner-up Hankelow (Night Of Thunder) exhibited an unflinching attitude and led from pillar to post for a career high in Saturday's G3 Emirates Autumn Stakes at Newmarket, a contest won last year by subsequent G1 Eclipse and G1 Irish Champion hero Delacroix (Dubawi). "He has got such a great mind on him and can only get better," insisted trainer Karl Burke. "I think he will be better on a more level track and I'll see what [jockey] Cliff [Lee] has to say. He'd certainly...

Turf distaffers trained by Chad Brown had taken the seven most recent renewals of the GI First Lady Stakes at Keeneland, and the New York native looked to have a fair chance to extend that streak in the Bluegrass on Saturday afternoon. But it was Colebrook Farm's Simply in Front (Summer Front) split rivals inside the final eighth of a mile and found the line first to cause a 13-1 upset in a bunched finish and snap the Brown domination, however temporarily. The mount of Ben Curtis, the $115,000 Keeneland...

Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's TDN Rising Star Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) was a perfect two-for-two heading into Saturday's G2 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket and emerged with his unbeaten record intact after dominating his rivals in the one-mile test. "He does look like the best colt we've had at this stage," said trainer George Boughey. "I loved his attitude today, it's the thing that's stood out from the beginning and it was nice to see him get it done. He's always been easy to train and...

Coming into Friday's G2 Joel Stakes a colt on the rise, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Zeus Olympios (Night Of Thunder) emerged from the mile feature with unbeaten record intact and reputation firmly enhanced. Delivered by Clifford Lee to upstage Godolphin's 4-5 market-leader Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) heading out of the dip, the 2-1 second favourite who had taken the G3 Superior Mile earlier this month drew away to score by 2 1/4 lengths. "I'd say we've definitely got a Group 1 horse," trainer Karl Burke said. "I'd say Rosallion will...

Continuing his education at Newmarket on Thursday, Godolphin's Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) put a defeat in the Acomb behind him with a powerful display in the feature G3 Tattersalls Stakes. Too free when third in that York contest last month, the €1.9million Arqana May Breeze Up topper who had beaten the subsequent Futurity winner Constitution River on debut at the July Festival was anchored in rear early. Set alight by William Buick heading to the downhill section, the 6-5 favourite brushed his rivals aside to register a 4 3/4-length...

Following an impressive debut win at Newbury last month, TDN Rising Star Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) denied chief rival Publish (Kingman) to double his tally in Saturday's Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock. Shrugging off that Juddmonte rival inside the final furlong, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's George Boughey-trained 5-6 favourite readily asserted under Billy Loughnane for a length success. Boughey thinks there is a lot more to come. "He's a lovely horse who has shown plenty of ability at home, but he's possibly still quite raw," he said. "He...

For a long while in Wednesday's G1 Juddmonte International Stakes, it looked as if we would have another pacemaker summer shock but ultimately the class of Godolphin's Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder) told once again and common sense prevailed on the Knavesmire. Blessed with the best acceleration of the sextet, the Gosdens' 7-4 favourite was the first to claw back the operation's rabbit Birr Castle (Cloth Of Stars), who was proverbially in another district under Rab Havlin turning for home, and register a 3 1/2-length defeat of...