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 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 actually been dropped out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the stands' rail to install 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 effectively safeguard his crown, recovered from an uninspiring run of kind to make a genuine race of it inside the last of 7 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 confirming him the winner by a nose.


Haggas said: "I need to watch it once 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 quickly and Tom was available in and stated 'if you run him over this journey once again, they need to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his finest trip."


More Thunder holds big-race entries in major handicaps and Pattern races and it is clear his trainer is eager 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 actually believed about running in the July Cup later in the afternoon, Haggas included: "We considered it strongly, but we also desired to go up to seven furlongs at some stage and this was an opportunity to do so.


"That is why he came here, however we will have a crack at a six-furlong stakes race. He simply needs 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, however I believe he is worthy of a chance at an excellent race now."