WHAT a wonderful start to his stud career for Night Of Thunder, the 2000 Guineas hero of 2014 who began his career at Dalham Hall and now stands at Kildangan. He ended 2019 as the champion first crop sire in Europe by earnings and by races won, with 28 winners of 45 races and over €1,000,000 from 48 runners.
He sired three group stars with Night Colours in the Group 2 Premio Dormello in Milan, Pocket Square in the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at Deauville and Under The Stars in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.
Night of Thunder also had four listed winners, Thunderous and Molatham in England, as well as Keep Busy in France and Cacciante in Italy.
Then last week his daughter Dubai Love won the UAE 1000 Guineas in Dubai by three lengths and A Beautiful Night won the Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield in Australia.
Unbeaten in two starts as a juvenile in 2013, including the Listed Doncaster Stakes, Night Of Thunder put up a spectacular performance to win the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket the next spring. He produced a remarkable burst of speed to score by half a length from Kingman, subsequent Epsom Derby hero Australia, Charm Spirit and Toormore. That was the only defeat ever sustained by Kingman, who took his revenge in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Night Of Thunder later ran two more fine races to be second to Charm Spirit in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and a close third in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin. In the World Rankings, Night Of Thunder was rated one of the best three-year-old milers in Europe in 2014, together with Kingman and Charm Spirit.
Purchased by Godolphin during that winter, Night Of Thunder remained with trainer Richard Hannon and won the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes over a mile at Newbury, holding off Toormore by a neck, with the brilliant filly Integral in fourth place.
Night Of Thunder is one of the best sons of the outstanding stallion Dubawi who has sired 41 Group 1 winners. He is the first produce of the Galileo mare Forest Storm, who won in Ireland as a two-year-old and was second in the Listed Flame Of Tara Stakes at The Curragh.
His fourth dam is the European champion two-year-old filly Forest Flower who went on to add the Irish 1000 Guineas the next season.
NIGHT OF THUNDER (IRE), Chesnut 2011. Won four races, £872,363, from 6 furlongs to 1 mile, 2 to 4 years including, Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, Gr.1, Qipco 2000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, Scott Dobson Memorial Doncaster Stakes, Doncaster, L, also placed second in Qipco Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, St James’s Palace Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, AON Greenham Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3, and third in Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Longchamp, Gr.1.
Retired to Stud in 2016, and sire of the winners of 47 races, and £1,066,380, including NIGHT COLOURS (IRE), POCKET SQUARE (GB), UNDER THE STARS (IRE), DUBAI LOVE (GB), CACCIANTE (IRE), KEEP BUSY (IRE), MOLATHAM (GB), THUNDEROUS (IRE), A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT (AUS), Lady Penelope (IRE), Magical Journey (IRE), Sun Power (FR), River Night (AUS), Thunderspeed (FR)
Stands at: Kildangan Stud, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, Ireland
Contact: Eamon Moloney, Anthony O’Donnell or Caoimhe Doherty
Telephone: +353 (0) 45 527600
Email: enquiries@darleyireland.com
Web: www.darleystallions.com
Fee: €25,000