Night Of Thunder a Timeform 127-rated son of Dubawi

NIGHT OF THUNDER (IRE) - 2011 chestnut horse

Winner of a late-season Goodwood maiden and a listed contest at Doncaster – both over six furlongs – by a combined margin of nine lengths, Night Of Thunder (by Dubawi) lost his unbeaten record when chasing home Kingman in the Group 3 Greenham Stakes first time out at three but then gained some revenge for that defeat when taking what turned out to be one of the best editions of the Group 1 2000 Guineas in recent decades.

He beat Kingman by half a length, Australia was a head back in third, Shifting Power was fourth, and Charm Spirit fifth, with Kingston Hill another length and a half away in eighth, a length in front of 10th-placed The Grey Gatsby.

Australia, Kingston Hill and The Grey Gatsby earned their fame when stepping up in trip, and both Kingman and Charm Spirit went on to become multiple mile Group 1 stars, so it was remarkable that Night Of Thunder managed to win just once more in his career, when beating Toormore by a neck in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes 12 months later.

​Timeform rated him 110p at two, 127 at three, and 123 at four, and he was understably popular in his first season at Kildangan Stud, covering 137 mares. A trio of his first foals made six-figure sums at auction, and he moved to Dalham Hall Stud for his third season.

The early Dubawi (by Dubai Millennium) stallions include Makfi and Poet’s Voice – both of whom has sired a Group 1 winner (Makfi has four) – but most of his best sons are in earlier stages of their stud careers, or are still in training, so it’s still too early to know what sort of profile he will develop as a sire of stallions. The early signs are promising.

Night Of Thunder is out of the stakes-placed Forest Storm (by Galileo), and that half-sister to Indian classic scorer New Appliance (by Burden Of Proof) is out of Quiet Storm (by Desert Prince), a stakes-placed granddaughter of Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Forest Flower (by Green Forest).

A first-crop representative of her sire and out of Group 1 Oaks third Leap Lively (by Nijinsky), she was also the top-rated juvenile filly in England in a season where she had a great rivalry with Minstrella.

Forest Flower won the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes, Group 3 Cherry Hinton Stakes and Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes but was runner-up to Minstrella in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes. That rival then added the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, but when the pair met again in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, it was Forest Flower who hit the line first. Sadly, she lost the race in the stewards’ room and so the bigger grey became a triple top-level winner.

Being a Dubawi out of a direct descendant of Forest Flower gave Night Of Thunder every chance of being a top-class racehorse, but it leaves him as something of an unknown as a stallion prospect, although his early support and auction success augur well for his future.

His two-year-old winners are likely to be seen to better effect in the latter half of the season, his best offspring are likely to be competitive in the broad six to 12-furlong range, and there is every reason to hope that he can do as well in this second career as he did on the track.

NIGHT OF THUNDER (IRE) - ch.2011 - Dubawi - Forest Storm, 4 wins inc 2000 Guineas (Gr1), Lockinge Stakes (Gr1), Doncaster Stakes (Listed), 2nd Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1), St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr1), Greenham Stakes (Gr3), 3rd Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr1). Sire in Ireland & England. First foals in 2017.

YEARLINGS CATALOGUED
​Chc - Abaq (by Oasis Dream)     Goffs     October     withdrawn
Bc - Al Nassa (by Bernardini)     Tatts IRE     September     not sold
Bc - Alaia (by Sinndar)     Tattersalls     October     22,000gns
Chf - Aljaazya (by Speightstown)     Goffs UK     August     £60,000
Bc - Amallna (by Green Desert)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Chc - Aqlaam Vision (by Aqlaam)     Tattersalls     October     80,000gns
Chf - Areyaam (by Elusive Quality)     Tattersalls     October     11,000gns
Chc - Aris (by Danroad)     Tattersalls     October     260,000gns
CHf - Assabiyya (by Cape Cross)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Chc - Award (by Tamayuz)     Tattersalls     October     200,000gns
Bc - Blameless (by Authorized)     Goffs     October     €60,000
Chf - Broadway Duchess (by New Approach)     Tattersalls     October     50,000gns (p/s)
Chc - Cantal (by Pivotal)     Tattersalls     October     160,000gns
Bf - Cape Castle (by Cape Cross)     Tatts IRE     September     not sold
Bf - Cape Good Hope (by Cape Cross)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bf - Coral Garden (by Halling)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bf - Coral Garden (by Halling)     Tattersalls     November     withdrawn
Grf - Corrine (by Spectrum)     Goffs     October     €5,000
Bc - Darrfonah (by Singspiel)     Tattersalls     November     8,000gns
Chf - Dinvar Diva (by Dalakhani)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Chc - Doors To Manual (by Royal Academy)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Chf - Doregan (by Bahhare)     Goffs UK     August     £40,000
Chf - Elegant Peace (by Intense Focus)     Goffs UK     August     £40,000 (p/s)
Chc - Emreliya (by Danehill Dancer)     Tattersalls     October     62,000gns
Chc - Ermine And Velvet (by Nayef)     Tattersalls     October     115,000gns
Chf - Fair Hill (by New Approach)     Tattersalls     October     50,000gns
Bc - First Party (by Royal Applause)     Tatts IRE     September     €52,000
Bf - Flower Fairy (by Dynaformer)     Tatts IRE     September     withdrawn
Chf - Giveupyeraulsins (by Mark Of Esteem)     Tatts IRE     September     €23,000
Bf - Havergate (by Dansili)     Tattersalls     October     36,000gns
​Bf - Jumeirah Palm Star (by Invincible Spirit)     Tattersalls     October     6,000gns
Chf - Keeping Quiet (by Samum)     Arqana     October     €15,000
Chf - Kiss From A Rose (by Compton Place)     Tattersalls     October     60,000gns
Bc - Leala (by Montjeu)     Goffs     February     not sold
Bc - Leala (by Montjeu)     Baden-Baden     May     not sold
Bf - Look Busy (by Danetime)     Tattersalls     October     ​34,000gns
Bf - Love And Laughter (by Theatrical)     Tatts IRE     September     €26,000
Bc - Mandheera (by Bernardini)     Arqana     August     €350,000
Bf - Many Colours (by Green Desert)     Goffs UK     August     £38,000
Bc - Marmoom Flower (by Cape Cross)     Arqana     August     not sold
Bc - Martine's Spirit (by Invincible Spirit)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bf - Mathanora (by Anabaa)     Tattersalls     October     20,000gns
Bc - Midwifery (by Teofilo)     Goffs     October     not sold
Bf - Mill Guineas (by Salse)     Goffs UK     August     not sold
Bc - Mujabaha (by Redoute's Choice)     Arqana     October     ​
Bf - Mystic Melody (by Montjeu)     Arqana     August     not sold
Bf - Nasrine (by Barathea)     Baden-Baden     August     not sold
Chf - Neshla (by Singspiel)     Tattersalls     October     ​8,000gns (p/s)
Chc - North East Bay (by Prospect Bay)     Tatts IRE     September     €180,000
Chf - Oriental Melody (by Sakhee)     Goffs     November     withdrawn
Chc - Oud Metha (by Manduro)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bc - Palimony (by Oasis Dream)     Tattersalls     October     13,000gns
Bc - Pencarrow (by Green Desert)     Tattersalls     October     20,000gns
Chc - Permission Slip (by Authorized)     Goffs     October     €65,000
Bc - Powdermill (by Oasis Dream)     Tattersalls     October     10,000gns
Bf - Pure Illusion (by Danehill)     Tattersalls     November     ​not sold
Chc - Que Sera Sera (by Dansili)     Goffs     October     €52,000
Bc - Raskutani (by Dansili)     Tattersalls     October     38,000gns
Chf - Refusetolisten (by Clodovil)     Tatts IRE     September     €22,000
Bc - Regal Hawk (by Singspiel)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bc - Rezyana (by Redoute's Choice)     Tattersalls     October     8,000gns
Bf - Royal Guinevere (by Invincible Spirit)     Tatts IRE     September     €22,000
Bc - Scarlett Rose (by Royal Applause)     Tattersalls     October     90,000gns
Chc - Semayyel (by Green Desert)     Goffs UK     August     £74,000
Bc - Shama’s Song (by Teofilo)     Goffs     October     €105,000
Chf - Silent Serenade (by Bertolini)     Tattersalls     October     37,000gns
Grf - Sopran Enery (by Montjeu)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bc - Souviens Toi (by Dalakhani)     Tattersalls     October     70,000gns
Bc - Sparkling Smile (by Cape Cross)     Tattersalls     October     115,000gns
Chf - Step Sequence (by Nayef)     Goffs UK     August     £32,000
Bf - Storyland (by Menifee)     Tattersalls     October     not sold
Bc - Suggest (by Raven’s Pass)     Tatts IRE     September     €10,000
Bc - Sultanah Heyam (by Manduro)     Tattersalls     October     4,000gns
Chc - Sunset Avenue (by Street Cry)     Tattersalls     October     48,000gns
Bf - Thames Pageant (by Dansili)     Goffs     October     €17,000
Chf - Time Over (by Mark Of Esteem)     Tattersalls     October     50,000gns
Chc - Tornadea (by Sea The Stars)     Arqana     November     ​€7,500
Chc - Travel (by Street Cry)     Tattersalls     October     withdrawn
Bf - True Match (by Cape Cross)     Arqana     August     €110,000
Chf - Varsity (by Lomitas)     Arqana     August     €130,000
Grc - White Wedding (by Green Desert)     Tattersalls     October     155,000gns
Chc - Yukon Girl (by Manduro)     Goffs UK     August     £2,000 (p/s)