Thunder Snow heads to stud

– Thunder Snow, the only horse to win back-to-back editions of the Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline (Group 1), is heading to Darley in Japan for his first season at stud.

Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Thunder Snow was a Group 1 winner at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years.

As a juvenile, he built upon a fourth in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1) by running away with the Criterium International (Group 1) at Saint-Cloud and returned as a sophomore to take the UAE Two Thousand Guineas Sponsored By District One Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City (Group 3) and the UAE Derby Sponsored By The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (Group 2). Later that year, Thunder Snow posted one of the best performances of his career with a major win in the Prix Jean Prat (Group 1) at Chantilly.

Returning at 4, Thunder Snow won the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Sponsored By Emirates Airline (Group 1) at Meydan before dominating in the 2018 Dubai World Cup to come nearly six lengths clear. He was placed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (Group 1) and the Breeders' Cup Classic (Group 1) before a triumphant return to the desert in March.

“We will all miss him at Godolphin Stables, but he retires at the top and we can look forward to seeing his progeny,” said bin Suroor, who paid tribute to his stable star this week. “I am sure that he will become a top stallion over the coming years.”

A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed, Thunder Snow is by Helmet, himself a son of leading sire Exceed and Excel. He is out of the superb broodmare Eastern Joy, who is also the dam of classicplaced Ihtimal and group winners Always Smile and First Victory. They are from the same family as Godolphin’s first classic winner, Balanchine.

“We are enormously excited for many reasons that Thunder Snow is coming to Japan,” said Harry Sweeney, president of Darley Japan. “In Japan, entry into the classics is largely based on racetrack earnings, and Thunder Snow being a Group 1 winner on turf as a two-year-old will impress breeders.

“Furthermore, he was very consistent and won a Group 1 at 2, 3, 4, and 5, another trait valued in Japan. And in the JRA, 50% of races are actually on dirt, so Thunder Snow’s prowess on that surface in addition to turf is another great advantage. He ticks many boxes indeed.” – Racingpost.com