More Thunder Hangs On For Bunbury Cup Glory

William Haggas will evaluate 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 two 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 return on the in this ₤ 100,000 contest and having been dropped out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the stands' rail 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


Last year's winner Aalto, a 40-1 shot to successfully defend his crown, recovered 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 nearly 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 stated: "I need to watch it once again, however for me they didn't go quick at all and he had a hard time to get momentum. I think he's much better going fast and Tom was available in and said 'if you run him over this trip once again, they need to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his finest journey."


More Thunder holds big-race entries in major handicaps and Pattern races and it is clear his trainer is keen to see him compete in Group One business at some stage.


William Haggas at Newmarket on Saturday (Joe Giddens/PA)


When asked if he had considered running in the July Cup later in the afternoon, Haggas added: "We considered it highly, but we likewise wished to go up to 7 furlongs at some stage 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 needs speed this horse, however in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they do not go slow!


"He could run in another handicap, however I think he deserves a chance at an excellent race now."