Thundering On surges clear to win Betfred Oaks at Epsom
Thundering On turned the Betfred Oaks into a procession, powering away by 3 3/4 lengths to give Joseph O'Brien his first Epsom Classic.
Thundering On did more than win the Betfred Oaks at Epsom Downs Racecourse. She announced herself as a filly with real division-shaping potential, travelling from last to first in a 1m4f6yds Classic that never looked like going to anyone else once Dylan Browne McMonagle asked her to lengthen. On good-to-soft ground, the Joseph Patrick O'Brien-trained filly swept around the far side, pressed the pace over a furlong out, hit the front inside the final furlong and pulled clear by 3 3/4 lengths.
The scale of the win mattered as much as the margin. In a 9-runner Oaks carrying a guaranteed prize fund of £625,000, Thundering On stopped the clock in 2m 38.91s, 3.31 seconds slow, but the time only reinforced how straightforward the result felt visually. Legacy Link filled second, Sugar Island was third, A La Prochaine kept on for fourth, and Amelia Earhart, the 7/4 favourite, never landed a blow before fading to sixth. This was not a race that required digging deep for a verdict: Thundering On settled, balanced, and accelerated away while the best-known name in the field flattened out behind her.
For O'Brien, the victory was a breakthrough at the venue and his first Epsom Classic as a trainer, a significant marker for a stable that has already made Irish Classic success a familiar part of the summer landscape. He called the win "really special" and said Thundering On "could potentially be a special filly." Browne McMonagle, celebrating his first British Classic, said he was trying to get her to relax early, adding that she was "comfortable throughout" and "quickened away really well." The rider’s judgement was crucial: Thundering On was held up further back than intended, yet still had enough tactical versatility to recover position and dominate late.
Her pedigree gives the story even more emotional weight. Owned and bred by Shapoor Mistry, Thundering On is the only foal of Thundering Nights, the Group 1-winning mare who died of colic in early 2024 after taking the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh in 2021. By Frankel out of Thundering Nights, she had already shown promise when winning the Salsabil Stakes over 1m2f, and connections had also weighed up the Prix de Diane before choosing Epsom. Friday’s performance suggested they chose right. In a filly division that now has a clear new benchmark, Thundering On has moved from contender to the one they all have to chase.
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