Night Of Thunder continues his hot-run of form with fine stakes double

Britain and Ireland’s current leading sire Night Of Thunder added further lustre to his spectacular season as Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum homebreds Zeus Olympios and Bow Echo provided the Darley stallion with two new stakes winners in the opening two contests at Haydock on Saturday.

The Karl Burke-trained Zeus Olympios delivered the son of Dubawi with his eighth Group winner of the season as he stamped himself a three-year-old of considerable promise, running out a two-length winner of the Group 3 Superior Mile Stakes under William Buick.

 The first foal out of the Listed-placed Siyouni mare Rhea, Zeus Olympios was taking his record to three wins from as many starts after victory in a mile novice at Thirsk last month and a debut win at Kempton in January. 

Swiftly adding to Night Of Thunder’s spoils and extending his own unbeaten record 35 minutes later was the George Boughey-trained Bow Echo, who became his sire’s 17th individual stakes winner for the season across Britain and Ireland and announced himself as a Classic contender when he gamely landed the Listed Ascendant Stakes under Billy Loughnane.

Bow Echo (right) posts an impressive success in the Ascendant StakesCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

The well-bred juvenile colt is the first foal to race out of the winning Invincible Spirit mare Aristocratic Lady, a half-sister to Group 3 winner Royal Rhyme being out of Dubai Queen – a winning half-sister to Dubawi. 

Night Of Thunder stood this season at Kildangan Stud for a career-best fee of €150,000, having stood at €100,000 for the previous two seasons. 

He quickly justified his updated price-tag, being elevated to the title of Classic-winning sire courtesy of Desert Flower’s 1,000 Guineas triumph at Newmarket back in May. 

The 14-year-old’s reputation has been carried highest this year by Ombudsman, the John and Thady Gosden-trained four-year-old having fulfilled his early promise with scintillating Group 1 victories in both the Prince of Wales’ Stakes at Royal Ascot and Juddmonte International at York, with a close second in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse in between. 

Night Of Thunder now boasts a total of 75 individual stakes winners worldwide, with Ombudsman and Desert Flower two of eight elite-level winners for the stallion. 

The sire's recent racetrack triumphs have translated into sales ring success with his daughter out of Prudenzia topping the Arqana August Yearling Sale last month when selling to Amo Racing for €3 million, a new record for the sale.

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