Thunder Snow & Winter Lightning to keep it in the family at Meydan
Racenews
6 February, 2018
Half-siblings Thunder Snow & Winter Lightning bid to continue Saeed bin Suroor’s impressive record in two of the dirt feature races at the fifth fixture of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan, UAE, on Thursday, 8 February.
Four-year-old Thunder Snow (Christophe Soumillon), a dual G1 winner on turf in France, tries to provide the trainer with an 11th victory in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round Two over nine and a half furlongs on dirt.
The Helmet colt, out of Eastern Joy, captured both the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas and G2 UAE Derby on dirt at Meydan last year and steps up in trip after a staying-on second over a mile on dirt on his seasonal return in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round One on 11 January.
Thunder Snow’s six rivals include Heavy Metal and North America, who were first and third in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round One, and last season’s G2 Godolphin Mile winner Second Summer.
Saeed bin Suroor’s previous winners of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round Two include Moon Ballad, who followed up his all-the-way success in 2003 with an emphatic victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airlines the following month.
Hunter’s Light (2013) and Prince Bishop (2014) returned to Meydan to win the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round Three on Super Saturday, with the latter also going on to glory in the 2015 Dubai World Cup.
Saeed bin Suroor commented: “Thunder Snow has been doing well since his first run of the year in Round One and the step up in trip will suit.
“He is in good form, has been working well and is ready to go.
“We have a good record in this race and have won it with some very good horses, including subsequent winners of the Dubai World Cup.”
Three-year-old Shamardal filly Winter Lightning (Pat Cosgrave), whose dam is also Eastern Joy, lines up in the mile Listed UAE 1000 Guineas on dirt after rallying gamely to edge out Rayya, whom she re-opposes, in a pulsating finish to the seven-furlong trial for the Classic on 18 January.
She bids to emulate her full-sister Ihtimal, who was successful in 2014 before capturing the G3 UAE Oaks and going on to finish third in the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. Subsequent G1 winners Mezzo Soprano (2003) and Cocoa Beach (2008) also feature among nine Saeed bin Suroor-trained winners of the UAE 1000 Guineas.
Saeed bin Suroor said: “Winter Lightning won the trial on her first start this season and has done well since.
“She is similar to Thunder Snow in that she is always relaxed and nothing bothers her.
“There are some nice fillies in the race, but we are looking for another good result.”
The seven runners for Saeed bin Suroor at this week’s Dubai World Cup Carnival fixture include Carry On Deryck (Gerald Mosse), Elhaame (Oisin Murphy) and Leshlaa (Pat Cosgrave), who all line up in the 10-furlong turf handicap.
UAE 2000 Guineas Trial runner-up Racing Country (Pat Cosgrave) switches to turf for the seven-furlong Meydan Classic Trial, while Kananee (Christophe Soumillon) drops back down to five furlongs for a handicap on turf.
