Night Of Thunder's daughter shines in Blue Diamond Preview

This year could hardly have started better for Night Of Thunder, who sired his first Australian Group winner when A Beautiful Night held on from the front in the Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield.

Only on Thursday, the Kildangan Stud resident had broken his duck in the Gulf, with Dubai Love becoming his eighth stakes scorer in the UAE 1,000 Guineas.

Night Of Thunder, the leading first-season sire in Europe by prize-money earnings, shuttled to Darley Kelvinside in 2016 and his daughter has been leading the line in the southern hemisphere, building on a debut second at Bendigo with a conditions win for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace in the New Year Sprint at Flemington.

This event, a lead-up to the Blue Diamond Prelude in a fortnight’s time and then the $1.5 million final on February 22, is the traditional path for the leading Victorian two-year-olds. Jockey Johnny Allen never gave his rivals a look-in, seizing the initiative with two of the five furlongs remaining and holding on by half a length from the late-closing favourite Fresh.

"We were quite confident going in today actually as we thought she'd been underestimated a little bit," Eustace told racing.com.

"She jumped very well - we sort of wanted to be midfield and come with a nice sweeping run but Johnny took the initiative, she pinged the lids and he rated her beautifully out in front and she did the rest."

David Eustace and Ciaron Maher look to have another useful prospectCredit: Racing Photos

The joint-trainer continued: "She handles her racing remarkably well, there’s actually not a lot of her.

"She's a reasonably tall filly but she's narrow enough. She doesn't sort of smack you in the face with her looks, but she can run and that's the main thing.

"I’m really pleased for the owners, they bred her, and I want to thank the staff for keeping the show on the road with the two-year-olds."

Bred by part owners, the Mustafa family, A Beautiful Night is the last foal out of the Gonski mare Lindyhop, whose dam was a close relative of Australian Group 2 winner Classy Fella and Listed scorer Grand Connection.

Night Of Thunder himself, the dual Group 1-winning miler who beat Kingman and Australia in the 2,000 Guineas, has just over 50 possible runners from his first crop Down Under and has already posted a Listed third through River Night at Sandown Hillside in November.

The nine-year-old son of Dubawi has already had three European Pattern winners headed by Night Colours, who took a Group 2 in Milan, and the Princess Margaret Keeneland Stakes winner Under The Stars.

An impressive strike rate saw his stock rise considerably in the ring during 2019 and Night Of Thunder’s fee, which stood at £15,000 for two seasons at Dalham Hall, is now back up to €25,000 as he returns to Kildangan.

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