Night Of Thunder keeps busy with seventh stakes winner from first crop

Darley's director of stallions Sam Bullard has toasted the “extraordinary will to win” of Night Of Thunder's progeny as the sire's phenomenal freshman season continued on Tuesday with daughter Keep Busy becoming his seventh individual stakes winner with a determined victory in the Listed Prix Yacowlef at Chantilly.

Keep Busy has shown extraordinary toughness in her juvenile season for trainer John Quinn and owners Altitude Racing, as this was her 11th start of a campaign that started in April.

She won two races in the summer, finished fifth to Night Of Thunder's principal flagbearer Under The Stars in the valuable Tattersalls October Auction Stakes and was fourth in the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes last time out.

Admittedly, the filly – bred by Hackcanter Ltd and Peter Gleeson, and bought by Cooper Darwin Bloodstock for just 34,000gns from Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale – must owe a large part of her fortitude and speed to her dam, Look Busy, a daughter of Danetime who won 12 of her 51 starts including when defeating Borderlescott to take the Temple Stakes.

But Keep Busy also encapsulates the quality and willingness of many progeny of Night Of Thunder, who has delivered 27 winners from 43 runners in Europe at a laudable strike-rate of 63 per cent.

The tally includes those other stakes scorers Night Colours, Pocket Square, Under The Stars, Cacciante, Molatham and Thunderous. Four others – Lady Penelope, Magical Journey, Sun Power and Thunderspeed – are black-type placed.

Night Of Thunder, who stood alongside his sire Dubawi at Dalham Hall Stud in the past two seasons, has been returned to his original home of Kildangan Stud for 2020 and given a fee increase from £15,000 to €25,000.

Bullard said: “It's wonderful for Night Of Thunder, wonderful for Dubawi and wonderful for all the other sons of Dubawi coming into the stallion barns, including Too Darn Hot who we welcome to the Dalham Hall roster next year.

“Night Of Thunder's progeny seem to have inherited the impeccable attitude of their paternal grandsire; they're generally very co-operative and possess an extraordinary will to win.

“That incredible temperament is Dubawi's strongest suit: his offspring just eat, sleep and run. Trainers love them because of it, and Night Of Thunder appears to be passing on that trait.”

Needless to say, Night Of Thunder has made his way into many breeders' mating plan wish lists for next year, and Bullard confirmed there will be stiff competition for places in his book.

“At the very reasonable fee he is, we've been inundated with applications and the selection will be made purely based on quality of mare to give the stallion the best chance of carrying on his success,” he said.

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