6f · Class 3 · 3yo+ · Good To Soft · 11 runners · £9,631
All racecards for Thursday 17th September
We said8th of 9, beaten 8 at 5/6F
MIDNIGHT THUNDER 5/1
MIDNIGHT THUNDER at 5/1, Saeed bin Suroor and Oisin Murphy, is the one — exactly the sort of race we are looking for. He has had 2 of his last 4 starts on the wrong ground and trip, back to 6f today where he wins and his mark is 7lb lower for it and has won here.
The risk is RAY MON DOUGH, the only confirmed front-runner here — front-runners at this track win 1.9 times their share of these races, and an uncontested lead could be decisive.
The one worry is long time without a win.
The dangers are ART LOVER at 15/2 (on a falling mark) and GOD OF WAR at 10/1 (well handicapped).
Non-runners: Deep Havana.
Result
| Pos | Horse / SP | Jockey Trainer | Age | Wgt | OR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1(1) | 10. Pilu 4/1 | J: Joe LeavyT: Roger Teal | 3 | 9-5 | 88 | ||
| Settled handy on the far flank early - hit front entering last furlong - shot ahead of rivals inside final furlong - stayed on to prevail by the narrowest margin | |||||||
| 2(10) | 1 | 7. Another Abbot 9/1 | J: Harry DaviesT: William Haggas | 4 | 9-9 | 90 | |
| Set pace with one rival close by near the stands rail - asked for effort with 2f left - squeezed for placing in the closing stages - edged out narrowly at the line for second | |||||||
| 3(12) | hd[1¼] | 12. Art Lover 12/1 | J: Tom MarquandT: William Haggas | 3 | 9-2 | 85 | |
| Held up behind pair towards the back - pushed along to challenge for the front inside final furlong - unable to find more and held for third | |||||||
| 4(8) | 1¾[3] | 9. God Of War 16/1 | J: David EganT: Tom Clover | 4 | 9-7 | 88 | |
| mid-pack early - urged forward after halfway and asked for effort a furlong out - stayed on to grab fourth close home | |||||||
| 5(7) | ¾[3¾] | 3. Kodi Lion 12/1 | J: Rossa RyanT: Michael Appleby | 5 | 9-11 | 92 | |
| Sluggish start - held up towards back - pushed along to close ground inside final furlong - stayed on to finish fifth beaten 3¾ lengths | |||||||
| 6(9) | 1[4¾] | 11. Westport 25/1 | J: Billy LoughnaneT: George Boughey | 3 | 9-5 | 88 | |
| Sat close up early and hit front for a spell - settled into second soon after - driven and dropped away 2f out - found a bit more when asked inside final furlong - faded near the line to finish sixth | |||||||
| 7(3) | 3[7¾] | 8. Dapper Valley 80/1 | J: Darragh KeenanT: Michael Keady | 5 | 9-8 | 89 | |
| mid-pack on the far flank - pushed along a furlong out - faded inside the closing furlong to finish seventh | |||||||
| 8(5) | nk[8] | 2. Midnight Thunder 5/6F our selection | J: Oisin MurphyT: Saeed bin Suroor | 4 | 9-13 | 94 | |
| Sent clear in front - pressed for the lead entering the last furlong - dropped away rapidly close home - eventually beaten well into eighth | |||||||
| 9(4) | ½[8½] | 4. Purosangue 10/1 | J: Jack MitchellT: Robert Cowell | 5 | 9-10 | 91 | |
| Settled mid-pack early - urged into effort with 2f left - lost place and slipped towards the back a furlong out - faded to finish ninth | |||||||
Winning time 1m 10.48s · Going Good · Non-runners: Deep Havana, Ray Mon Dough, So Darn Hot · Tote win £5