More Thunder Holds 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 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 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 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 effectively defend his crown, recovered from an uninspiring run of kind to make a real race of it inside the last of 7 furlongs and the pair flashed by the post almost 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 again, however for me they didn't go quick at all and he struggled to get momentum. I think he's better going quickly and Tom was available in and said 'if you run him over this journey once again, they require 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 fitness instructor is eager to see him contend 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 highly, but we also wanted to increase to 7 furlongs at some phase and this was a chance to do so.


"That is why he came here, however we will have a fracture at a six-furlong stakes race. He just requires pace this horse, but in six-furlong Group races, you'll see in the July Cup, they do not go sluggish!


"He might run in another handicap, however I believe he is worthy of a shot at a good race now."