More Thunder Holds On For Bunbury Cup Glory
William Haggas will check the water at Group-race level before the season is out with More Thunder following his narrow success in the bet365 Bunbury Cup at Newmarket.
The winner of 2 important six-furlong handicaps on the Rowley Mile in the spring, the four-year-old was beaten a head by Get It when bidding for his hat-trick in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot last month.
More Thunder was a 6-5 preferred to get back on the winning trail in this ₤ 100,000 contest and having actually been dropped out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the to mount his challenge and quickened up wisely to challenge for the lead.
More Thunder gets up on the line to land the @bet365 Bunbury Cup pic.twitter.com/KcjDydcCPF
In 2015's winner Aalto, a 40-1 shot to successfully protect his crown, got better from an uninspiring run of type to make a genuine race of it inside the last of 7 furlongs and the pair flashed by the post nearly as one, but it was More Thunder who had his head down where it mattered, with the judge verifying him the winner by a nose.
Haggas stated: "I need to enjoy it once again, but for me they didn't go quickly at all and he had a hard time to get momentum. I think he's better going quickly and Tom came in and said 'if you run him over this trip once again, they need to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his finest trip."
More Thunder holds big-race entries in significant handicaps and Pattern races and it is clear his fitness instructor is keen to see him compete in Group One company at some stage.
William Haggas at Newmarket on Saturday (Joe Giddens/PA)
When asked if he had thought of running in the July Cup later on in the afternoon, Haggas added: "We considered it strongly, but we also wished to increase to 7 furlongs at some phase and this was a chance to do so.
"That is why he came here, but we will have a fracture at a six-furlong stakes race. He just requires rate this horse, however in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they do not go sluggish!
"He could run in another handicap, but I believe he is worthy of a chance at a great race now."