Notebook Horse: 11/07/26 Ascot - More Thunder: Ignore the Result, Remember the Run
More Thunder could manage only fourth in Saturday’s Juddmonte Summer Mile, but this is one result I am more than happy to forgive.
In fact, I would go further: he may well have shaped better than anything in the race.
The Summer Mile developed into completely the wrong test for William Haggas’s five-year-old. The early gallop was pedestrian, the field remained tightly grouped and the race turned into a short, sharp sprint around Ascot’s round mile. That played directly to the strengths of Zeus Olympios, who was always close to the action and produced his acceleration exactly when required.
It did not play to More Thunder’s strengths at all.
The Bend Was a Problem
More Thunder had previously raced almost exclusively on straight courses in Britain and has repeatedly shown that he needs time to organise himself and build momentum.
Around Ascot’s bend, he never looked entirely comfortable. Drawn on the inside and held up in midfield, he appeared to lose his rhythm as the pace began to increase. By the time they straightened for home, the leaders were already sprinting and More Thunder was being asked to make up ground against horses who had enjoyed much better tactical positions.
He was briefly outpaced rather than beaten.
Once balanced in the straight, however, the response was unmistakable. More Thunder began to close strongly, passing tired and better-positioned rivals to finish fourth, beaten only a length and a half by Zeus Olympios. Racing TV described him as finishing nearer than at any previous stage, while the official data provides an even clearer picture of how much running he still had left.
The Sectionals Tell the Story
More Thunder recorded a finishing-speed percentage of 113.34%, the highest figure in the field. He also reached a top speed of 41.88mph, again the fastest of all eight runners.
Yet his 0–20mph acceleration time was the slowest in the race.
That combination tells us almost everything we need to know. More Thunder was unable to produce the immediate change of gear required when the sprint began, but once he reached top stride, he was travelling faster and finishing more strongly than anything else.
Zeus Olympios, by comparison, was the quickest horse to accelerate from 0–20mph and enjoyed an uncontested spell near the front. In a tactical race, that advantage was decisive.
This was not a case of More Thunder failing to reproduce his Group 1 form. It was a case of the race failing to test the qualities that make him a Group 1 performer.
Previous Form Still Stands Up
More Thunder had finished ahead of Zeus Olympios in both the Lockinge Stakes and the Queen Anne Stakes, where a powerful late run carried him into second behind 50/1 winner Ten Bob Tony.
The Queen Anne was run over Ascot’s straight mile and allowed More Thunder to build through the race. The Summer Mile, by contrast, became a dash from the turn. The finishing positions were reversed, but the different pace and course configuration offer a perfectly logical explanation.
Zeus Olympios deserved his victory. He was given an excellent tactical ride by Sam James and used his speed effectively. But nothing that happened here convinces me that he has suddenly become a better horse than More Thunder under more suitable conditions.
Keep More Thunder Firmly Onside
More Thunder remains rated 121 and holds major entries over distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile and a quarter, including the Juddmonte International at York. That flexibility reflects both his class and the uncertainty over his optimum trip.
For betting purposes, the important factors are likely to be pace and course configuration rather than distance alone.
A strongly run straight mile looks ideal. A truly run race over ten furlongs may also be within his range, particularly on a galloping track where he has time to lengthen rather than being asked for an instant burst of speed.
The market may view this fourth place as a disappointment from an even-money favourite. We should view it differently.
More Thunder encountered a slow pace, raced around a bend that appeared to interrupt his rhythm and was badly positioned when the sprint began. Despite all that, he produced the fastest top speed and strongest finishing percentage in the race.
Ignore the finishing position. Keep More Thunder firmly onside. Given a strong pace and a proper galloping track, he remains capable of winning at the highest level.
