Thunder Snow Retired, Stud Plans Pending

[Wandering Eyes]

UAE highweight and dual G1 Dubai World Cup hero Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}-Eastern Joy {GB}, by Dubai Destination) has been retired, trainer Saeed Bin Suroor announced on Tuesday. Bred by Darley in Ireland, the Godolphin colourbearer was last seen running third to GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint hero Mitole (Eskendereya) in the GI Metropolitan H. in June. Stud plans are pending.

“Thunder Snow Retires to stud and he means a hell of a lot for me and for the Godolphin team,” bin Suroor told ITV Racing’s Matt Chapman. “He achieved great results for us and is definitely one of the best I’ve trained. He bounced back tremendously after the bucking incident in the 2017 Kentucky Derby and was an extremely tough horse. He’s the only horse to win the Dubai World Cup twice, and I think that was his greatest achievement on the track. He always tried his hardest and it won’t be easy to find another one like him. We’ll miss him greatly in the stable.”

A winner of the G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud as a juvenile, the bay took both the G3 UAE 2000 Guineas and G2 UAE Derby in 2017, and participated in the GI Kentucky Derby that May, but did not finish due to bucking soon after the start. Wheeled back in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas later that month, he ran second to Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), and was third in the G1 St. James’s Palace S. a month later. Back on top in Chantilly’s G1 Prix Jean Prat, he ran with credit to take third in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois.

In 2018, he took his first Dubai World Cup, as well as the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and was also runner-up in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Brought back as a 5-year-old, Thunder Snow was once again second in the G1 Al Maktoum Challeneg Round 3, but gutted out a nose victory over Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}) to take his second Dubai World Cup this March, the first horse to repeat in the race. A fever knocked him out of an intended start in the GI Whitney H. this summer and he was removed from Breeders’ Cup consideration earlier this fall. He retires with a mark of 24-8-7-4 and earnings of $16,511,476.

Thunder Snow is a half-brother to MGSW & MG1SP Ihtimal (Ire) (Shamardal), SW & MG1SP Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), GSW First Victory (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), and SW & MGSP Winter Lightning (Ire) (Shamardal). His second dam, Red Slippers (Nureyev), is also responsible for G1 Prix de Diane heroine West Wind (GB) (Machiavellian) and SW Redbridge (Alleged). European highweight Balanchine (Storm Bird) is a half-sister to Red Slippers.

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