More Thunder Hangs 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 two 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 favourite to return on the winning path in this ₤ 100,000 contest and having actually been out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the stands' rail to mount his challenge and accelerated 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 defend his crown, bounced back from an uninspiring run of type to make a genuine race of it inside the last of 7 furlongs and the set flashed by the post nearly 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 stated: "I require to enjoy it again, but for me they didn't go quick at all and he had a hard time to get momentum. I believe he's better going fast and Tom was available in and stated 'if you run him over this journey again, they need to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his best journey."
More Thunder holds big-race entries in significant handicaps and Pattern races and it is clear his trainer 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 in the afternoon, Haggas included: "We considered it strongly, but we likewise wished to increase to seven 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, but in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they don't go sluggish!
"He could run in another handicap, but I think he deserves a shot at a good race now."