More Thunder sparkles under brilliant Marquand ride

More Thunder left it late to book his ticket to Royal Ascot, as Tom Marquand delivered his mount with perfection in the Betfred Handicap at Newmarket.

Remarkably, the four-year-old was a winner over 10 furlongs for Sir Michael Stoute, but has excelled since enterprisingly sent sprinting by new trainer William Haggas and made it two from two for the Somerville Lodge team after some real artistry in the saddle from Marquand aboard the 11-4 favourite.

Haggas said: “Tom said he just hit a ridge at the wrong time, but he stayed on well. He felt it was more the track that meant he got there so late rather than the distance. He felt he was plenty fast enough.

“I think something like the Wokingham might be the sensible route at this stage. If we didn’t he’d have to go into a stakes race, but at the moment he’s still low enough to be competitive in handicaps.

“He did have 3lb less than he should have done today and that would have made all the difference.”

There was a win for another ex-Stoute inmate with Fox Legacy (15-2) putting up a fine display to claim the Betfred Suffolk Stakes for Andrew Balding in the hands of Oisin Murphy.

The victory continued Balding’s fine form at Newmarket this term and he said: “He’s won that off a mark of 90 so he’s a solid handicapper.

“The problem he might have is there aren’t many races over that trip of nine furlongs. Obviously there’s the Cambridgeshire, but that is a long way off so we’ll just play it by ear as who knows what the ground will be like.”

Tiger Bay roared home to claim the Oddschecker British EBF Ellen Chaloner Stakes.

It looked like William Knight’s front-running Frost At Dawn had slipped the field approaching the final furlong, but Henry Candy’s 11-1 chance ran on powerfully once Trevor Whelan slipped her into top gear, registering a neck verdict in the Listed event.

“I thought she had plenty to find on ratings, but looking at her there should still be more to come as she hasn’t quite come in her coat yet,” said Candy.

“She’ll be stepping up to seven furlongs I would have thought, she was taken off her feet there and I didn’t think she was going to get there in time.

“The problem is the next seven-furlong race is the Chartwell at Lingfield, but it will come too soon and there aren’t many other options so we’ll just have to see, she might have to race against the boys.”

Tom Clover’s Invictus Gold is set for a step up in class after running out a comfortable winner of the TrustATrader Handicap.

Third over course and distance at the Craven meeting, Neil Callan booted the 100-30 favourite over three lengths clear.

Clover’s wife Jackie said: “He’s won that off a mark of 93, so I’d imagine he’ll be rated over 100 now, so we’ll probably have to look at stakes races.

“We might travel with him, look at France or something as he’s versatile ground-wise, although today was the first time he’s raced on proper quick ground and he’s loved it.”

Emma Lavelle’s Silver Ghost (12-1) broke his maiden at the seventh time of asking in the Aston Martin “Confined” Handicap under Sean Levey, while not content with winning the 2000 Guineas for the third time in four years with Ruling Court, Charlie Appleby also won the Lay And Wheeler Handicap with El Cordobes (4-1).