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More Thunder holds on for Bunbury Cup glory

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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 get back on the winning trail in this £100,000 contest and having been dropped out last by Tom Marquand early on, he was angled towards the stands’ rail to mount his challenge and quickened up smartly to challenge for the lead.

Last year’s winner Aalto, a 40-1 shot to successfully defend his crown, bounced back from an uninspiring run of form to make a real race of it inside the last of seven 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 confirming him the winner by a nose.

Haggas said: “I need to watch it again, but for me they didn’t go fast at all and he struggled to get momentum. I think he’s better going fast and Tom came in and said ‘if you run him over this trip again, they need to go hard’. Six furlongs, he feels, is his best trip.”

More Thunder holds big-race entries in major 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
William Haggas at Newmarket on Saturday (Joe Giddens/PA)

When asked if he had thought about running in the July Cup later in the afternoon, Haggas added: “We considered it strongly, but we also wanted to go up to seven 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 don’t go slow!

“He could run in another handicap, but I think he deserves a shot at a good race now.”

Provisional plans outlined for Never So Brave and More Thunder

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Never So Brave and More Thunder, who encountered contrasting fortunes at Royal Ascot, could both skip the bet365 Bunbury Cup.

The pair are owned by Saeed Suhail, with the Andrew Balding-trained Never So Brave winning the Buckingham Palace Stakes in style, while More Thunder just failed to reel in Get It in the Wokingham for William Haggas.

They are currently 4-1 joint-favourites for the Bunbury Cup with the sponsors, but Philip Robinson, Suhail’s racing manager, indicated both are likely to step out of handicaps.

“It was nice to see Never So Brave win and he’ll probably go to Goodwood for the seven-furlong race, the Lennox,” said Robinson.

“We had to split him and More Thunder up and we very nearly got the double.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if More Thunder steps up to seven furlongs next time. He was unfortunate and with one more stride he’d have got there.

“He was running over 10 furlongs last season for Sir Michael (Stoute), so we know he’ll get further. He’d probably get a mile, but I think William is happy to go over seven for the time being.

“His next race, I would think, would be a Group or a Listed race somewhere, he’s very keen to do that if we can.

“We’ve two nice horses for the rest of the season anyway.”