More Thunder Hangs On For Bunbury Cup Glory
William Haggas will test 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 valuable six-furlong handicaps on the Rowley Mile in the spring, the 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 return on the winning path in this ₤ 100,000 contest and having actually been dropped out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the stands' rail to install his difficulty and accelerated up smartly 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 effectively protect his crown, bounced back from an uninspiring run of kind to make a genuine race of it inside the last of seven furlongs and the pair flashed by the post almost as one, however it was More Thunder who had his head down where it mattered, with the judge verifying him the winner by a nose.
Haggas said: "I need to enjoy it again, but for me they didn't go quick at all and he had a hard time to get momentum. I think he's better going quick and Tom came in and stated 'if you run him over this journey again, they require to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his finest journey."
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 phase.
William Haggas at Newmarket on Saturday (Joe Giddens/PA)
When asked if he had considered running in the July Cup later on in the afternoon, Haggas included: "We considered it highly, however we also wished to increase to 7 furlongs at some phase and this was an opportunity to do so.
"That is why he came here, however we will at a six-furlong stakes race. He just needs speed this horse, however in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they don't go slow!
"He might run in another handicap, however I think he deserves a shot at an excellent race now."