Thundering On and her connections after winning the BetFred Oaks at Epsom, Credit Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Breeders’ Cup-winning jockey and trainer Joseph O’Brien added another international success to his growing list of honours with the victory of Thundering On (5/1) in the Group 1 Betfred Oaks at Epsom Racecourse, England, on Friday afternoon.
Trained at his Carriganóg base in County Kilkenny, Ireland, O’Brien’s filly was a most impressive winner of the second fillies’ classic in Britain this season.
Ridden by 23-year-old County Donegal native Dylan Browne McMonagle, the three-year-old daughter of Frankel ran out a three-and-three-quarter length winner over Legacy Link, with Sugar Island next best in third.
Never a Moment’s Worry for Browne McMonagle
Commenting on the filly’s easy Group 1 success, Browne McMonagle admitted:
“That was unreal. There was never a moment’s worry. It was so smooth the whole way through. She travelled like a dream, she handled the course and she got the distance. It was push-button stuff. She’s got a lot of class, and the way she went through the field was something else. If I’d pushed the button a bit earlier, she’d have won by even further. When I gave her the office, she just sprinted away.
“She’s a very, very talented filly and one to look forward to. She’s something else. It’s unbelievable. I’m very, very lucky to be in the position I’m in, riding these sort of horses. A big thank you to the team and well done to everyone at home.”
Ballydoyle Plan Goes Awry
The Betfred Oaks, a Group 1 race restricted to three-year-old fillies over one and a half miles, saw nine runners contest, with Aidan O’Brien, who holds the present-day record of 11 wins in the race, providing three runners, including the race favourite Amelia Earhart (7/4), the mount of jockey Ryan Moore.
Legacy Link, carrying the colours of Juddmonte Farms, and ridden by their retained jockey, Colin Keane, went to post the second favourite at 3/1, with the eventual winner, Thundering On, next best in the betting market at 5/1.
The plan for the Aidan O’Brien-handled trio of Amelia Earhart, Cameo and Sugar Island seemed to be to dictate the race as much as possible from the beginning.
Ronan Whelan, aboard the outsider of the Ballydoyle fillies, Sugar Island (25/1), took up the early pace as expected, with Cameo (7/1) and the 2025 Betfred Derby-winning jockey, Wayne Lordan, second.
Winner and Runner-Up Raced Towards Back of the Field
The eventual winner, Thundering On, was ridden towards the rear of the field for much of the mile and a half, as the daughter of Frankel had some stamina doubts, never having run at this distance previously.
Dylan Browne McMonagle, a former top pony rider and last season’s Irish champion flat jockey, sat comfortably with Colin Keane, aboard the eventual runner-up also near the back of the nine-runner field.
Browne McMonagle and Thundering On began to make progress through as they approached the two-eighths pole. Keane and Legacy Link were coming on the opposite side – both travelling well.
By the one-furlong marker, Thundering On looked in the ascendacy and despite the brave effort of the Juddmonte Farms-owned filly, Legacy Link, she could not bridge the gap to Thundering On who effortlessly stretched clear.
Inside the one-eighth pole, Thundering On was not for catching, and eventually ran out a three-and-three-quarter length winner – a first British classic for the rider Browne McMonagle.
Owned and bred by Shapoor Mistry, the daughter of Frankel out of the late Thundering Nights, the dam being a previous winner of the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh when also trained by Joseph O’Brien, for whom today’s win was a second British classic success – his first having come with Galileo Chrome in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster in 2020.
A winner of the Group 3 Salsabil Stakes at Navan, Ireland, on her most recent race in April, Thundering On came into today’s classic with an official rating of 107. The win is an 18th Irish-trained winner of the Betfred Oaks since the victory of Noblesse in 1963.
Joseph O’Brien Reaction
“It was an easy watch, really – she was a very impressive winner. To come to any classic with a horse that has a legitimate chance is incredible. Her dam, whom Shapoor and Pallon and Anthony raced, died after giving birth to her – she was her only foal, and by Frankel at that, so for Thundering On to win the Oaks is very special.”
The 33-year-old Betfred Oaks-winning trainer continued:
“I suppose our main question mark coming here was whether she would stay or not; we knew she was very talented, but her dam didn’t stay further than 10 furlongs. But she’s by Frankel, so we decided to save as much energy as we could on the climb and then see what happened on the straight. She came alive at the bottom of the straight and won very impressively. I’m looking forward to seeing the replay.”
While speaking to the press assembled in the Epsom media tent post-race, O’Brien hinted at future plans for his star filly, stating:
“Her dam (Thundering Nights) won the Pretty Polly, so she can go back for that, or the Irish Oaks – the world is her oyster – but I think we’ll enjoy today first. Hopefully, she pulls out well and we can make a plan for the rest of the season after that.”
