Thunderous Strikes in Final Strides to Win Dante Stakes

Thunderous got up in the final strides to deny odds-on favorite Highest Ground in the Al Basti Equi World Dubai Dante Stakes (G2) and secure a double for Franny Norton and Mark Johnston, who also landed the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes (G3) in the previous race with Rose of Kildare.

The son of Night of Thunder finished second in his reappearance in the listed Fairway Stakes at Newmarket but showed marked improvement this time, wearing down Highest Ground, who hit the two-furlong pole in front, before taking the lead late to win by a neck.

Johnston was at Newmarket for the first day of the July festival, but was delighted to see his 3-year-old land the group 2.

"It wasn't that easy to see it here—I was trying to saddle a horse at the same time—but it's fantastic," Johnston told ITV Racing. "He stayed the mile and a quarter and then some, just getting up in the dying strides, and it's great to see. We'll have to go back and think again, it's not the usual route obviously."

Thunderous is 16-1 with Betfair and Paddy Power to follow up the victory in the St Leger (G1) at Doncaster in September.

Assistant trainer Charlie Johnston was at York for the victory.

"It's been a very good hour for the yard and Franny just joked that in a normal year we might have the favorite for the Investec Oaks (G1) and Derby after winning the Musidora and Dante, so maybe there is a missed opportunity, but we won't be disappointed with these two big prizes," he said. 

"Thunderous is a very laidback horse and wouldn't work like a group 1 or group 2 horse at home. When it was announced the Dante would fall on this date we thought it was the perfect slot for him and knew he wouldn't be ready in time for the Investec Derby (G1), the trainer continued. "We went to Newmarket 70-80% fit in the knowledge that race would bring him forward and I still don't think you've seen the finished article today. There is still a lot more to come and he's very exciting; he's got a big future."

Night of Thunder Continues Inexorable Rise

The Night of Thunder bandwagon shows no sign of slowing.

Darley's virtuoso second-season sire supplied the seventh pattern winner from his debut Northern Hemisphere crop Thursday. Thunderous becomes Night of Thunder's third group 2 winner following Auyantepui, who became the sire's first classic scorer, taking Sunday's Italian Oaks, and Night Colours, who struck in the Premio Dormello last year.

The Kildangan Stud-based son of Dubawi also has four group 3 winners in Europe, namely Molatham, No Limit Credit, Pocket Square, and Under the Stars, as well as a further five listed scorers—Cacciante, Dubai Love, Keep Busy, Lady Penelope, and Bredenbury.

Night of Thunder also shuttled to Darley's Northwood Park in Victoria, Australia, for one season and the resultant crop of just 58 Southern Hemisphere-bred 2-year-olds has been excelling down under.

It includes group 3 winner A Beautiful Night and listed scorers Cherry Tortoni and River Night, along with five other runners to have graced a winner's enclosure.

Darley recently announced that Night of Thunder would be made available to cover mares to southern-hemisphere time in Ireland this year.

The 9-year-old chestnut, who beat Kingman and Australia in a vintage QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1), was advertised as standing at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €25,000 this Northern Hemisphere season and was reported to be heavily oversubscribed.

Thunderous was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and is the third foal but first winner out of the Italian listed scorer Souviens Toi, a daughter of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Lucien Barriere (G1) victor Dalakhani who put up her best effort on Racing Post Ratings by running second to Brown Panther in the listed Pontefract Castle Stakes over 12 furlongs.

The dam, a half sister to Italian Oaks third Whippy Cream, is likely to have conferred the stamina that Thunderous demonstrated so well by staying the ten and a half furlongs of the Dante.

Souviens Toi has a 2-year-old son by Exceed And Excel, sold to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 150,000 guineas (US$198,955) at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and given the name Unforgotten. He has already been gelded.

The mare produced no offspring in 2019, having slipped to Churchill, but she has a filly foal by Frankel.

Thunderous entered the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing ranks when bought by John and Jake Warren for 70,000 guineas (US$96,594) as a yearling at Book 2.

The Musidora Stakes on the same York card also gave a feather in the cap to an up and coming second-season sire from the Dubawi sire-line, with Make Believe's daughter Rose of Kildare successful in the group 3 contest for fillies.

The Ballylinch Stud-based stallion hit the headlines Sunday when he delivered a first-crop classic winner in the shape of Prix du Jockey Club (G1) victor Mishriff.

Rose of Kildare and Make Believe are among four first-crop stakes winners for Make Believe.

Rose of Kildare was bred by Wansdyke Farms out of Cruck Realta, a listed-winning daughter of Sixties Icon, and was sold to trainer Mark Johnston for the bargain basement sum of €3,000 ($3,531) at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.