More Thunder Holds 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 .


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 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 mount his difficulty 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


In 2015's winner Aalto, a 40-1 shot to effectively safeguard his crown, got better from an uninspiring run of form to make a real race of it inside the last of seven furlongs and the set flashed by the post practically 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 require to enjoy it again, however for me they didn't go quickly at all and he struggled to get momentum. I think he's much better going quickly and Tom came in and stated 'if you run him over this trip again, they require to go hard'. Six furlongs, he feels, is his best journey."


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


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


When asked if he had actually thought about running in the July Cup later in the afternoon, Haggas included: "We considered it highly, but we likewise wished to increase to 7 furlongs at some stage and this was an opportunity to do so.


"That is why he came here, but we will have a crack at a six-furlong stakes race. He just needs pace this horse, but 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 believe he deserves a shot at a good race now."