Thunder rumbles at Ascot as Molatham gives a rising star his first Royal winner

Night Of Thunder continued his march towards the upper echelons of the stallion ranks on Thursday when his son Molatham produced a smart display to win the Group 3 Jersey Stakes and give his sire a breakthrough success at Royal Ascot.

Monarch Of Egypt, a son of another exciting second-season sire in American Pharoah, ran a fine race to finish second.

Molatham is the fifth Group winner to emerge from Night Of Thunder's debut northern hemisphere-bred crop, and was already among the sire's ten black type scorers having landed the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes at two.

Night Of Thunder's first crop also contains five Listed-placed runners, meaning the son of Dubawi has supplied 15 stakes performers from just 102 foals for an impressive black-type horses-to-foals ratio of 15 per cent.

He has also made a big impression in Australia, with his first southern hemisphere-bred two-year-olds including Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview scorer A Beautiful Night and the Listed-winning River Night.

Night Of Thunder: sire of ten stakes scorersCredit: Darley

Night Of Thunder stood the 2020 breeding season at Darley's Kildangan Stud at a fee of €25,000 and was reported to be heavily oversubscribed.

Molatham, who joined the Shadwell ranks at a cost of 160,000gns as a yearling, boasts a particularly in vogue pedigree, as not only is he by a rising star of the stallion ranks, but is also out of a daughter of champion broodmare sire Pivotal.

He was bred by Cheveley Park Stud, which has been home to Pivotal throughout his 24 years on stallion duty, and is out of Cantal, herself a winner over seven furlongs at two. The 11-year-old has quickly made up into a useful producer for stud owners David and Patricia Thompson, having supplied three winners from as many runners.

Cheveley Park Stud stalwart PivotalCredit: Edward Whitaker

Her first foal was the dual winner Munawer, a son of Dutch Art. He is a full-brother to Perfection, who carried the Cheveley Park Stud silks to success in the Listed Highfield Flying Fillies Stakes.

In turn, Cantal is a half-sister to Brigadier Gerard Stakes scorer Autocratic - who later raced as Captain Cook in Australia - and Horris Hill Stakes winner Evasive, who is now at stud in Norway. Molatham's third dam is the Niarchos colour bearer East Of The Moon, meaning the likes of Alpha Centauri and Alpine Star appear further back in his pedigree.

Cantal has a two-year-old Intello filly named Puy Mary, who is with Molatham's trainer Roger Varian, and a yearling colt by Ulysses.

Pivotal is now the broodmare sire of 62 Group winners worldwide, including 22 top-level scorers including the likes of Cracksman, Magical and this year's 1,000 Guineas heroine Love.

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