A baldy faced chestnut colt by Frankel (Benvenuto Cellini) is favourite for the Group I Epsom Derby to be run this evening our time and overnight it was baldy faced chestnut Frankel filly Thundering On, who did just that to win the Group I Epsom Oaks (1 ½ m) in commanding style.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien and ridden by Dylan Browne-McMonagle, Thundering On put her hand up as an Oaks contender when breaking her maiden to win the Group III Salsabil Stakes at Navan at the end of April.
Lining up for her fifth race start in the Epsom Oaks, she was sent off at 5-1 with the race favourite being Amelia Earhart from the powerful stable of Aidan O’Brien.
Notoriously regarded as a tricky filly to deal with, Amelia Earhart raced below her best to finish out of the money, while Thundering On soared to new heights.
She powered away from Juddmonte’s homebred Dubawi filly Legacy Link top win by nearly four lengths with six lengths back to the third placed Sugar Island (Dubawi).
A homebred for Shapoor Mistry, Thundering On has two wins and two seconds from five starts and is now favourite for the Group I Irish Oaks.
“The first idea was probably the Prix de Diane, but given the way Thundering On was training, Shapoor [Mistry, owner-breeder], Pallon and Anthony Stroud were very keen to come to Epsom, so we did - and I'm very glad we did,” said Joseph O’Brien.
“Her dam won the Pretty Polly (G1), so she can go back for that, or the Irish Oaks - the world is her oyster - but I think we'll enjoy today first.
“Hopefully she pulls up well and we can make a plan for the rest of the season after that. I suppose our main question mark coming here was whether she would stay or not; we knew she was very talented, but her dam didn't stay further than 10 furlongs.
“But this filly is by Frankel, so we decided to save as much energy as we could on the climb and then see what happened on the straight. She came alive at the bottom of the straight and won very impressively.”
Thundering On is the first and only foal of Group I winning Night of Thunder mare Thundering Nights who traces back to Group winning blue hen Cloud Castle, whose descendants include Group I winners Queen’s Trust and Domestic Spending.
Thundering On is the 41st Group I winner for Frankel and is his fourth Epsom Oaks winner joining Minnie Hauk, Soul Sister and Anapurna.
She is the first Group I winner for Night of Thunder as a broodmare sire.
