Charging Thunder

He's trained by James Owen at Newmarket — a yard that has sent out 204 winners this season alone, so this is no small operation. James Owen's team clearly knows what they're doing with Charging Thunder, and the trainer has spoken candidly about the horse's journey: he was bought on spec, was perhaps mentally immature in his younger days, and has taken time to mature into himself. That patience has been rewarded. His first win came at Chelmsford in September 2021, and by June 2022 he was winning a Class 2 race at Pontefract — one of the better races he'll have contested. His jockey that day, and most often in the saddle, is Daniel Tudhope, who has ridden him to 2 wins from 11 attempts together, winning roughly 1 in every 5 rides.

The ground matters enormously with Charging Thunder. On normal conditions he's won 3 from 9 races — 33%, meaning he wins roughly 1 in every 3 — which is a remarkable return and tells you clearly when he's at his best. He doesn't need firm or muddy ground; give him a normal surface and he becomes a genuinely dangerous runner.

His most recent win came at Wolverhampton in July 2025, and he raced just yesterday, keeping him active and prominent. The last six runs haven't produced a win — a 4th being the best of it — but he's been operating consistently in Class 2 company, where the competition is fierce and just 1 win from 14 races at that level tells you how hard it is to break through. William Buick, who rode him at Newmarket, summed him up simply: "he's toughed it out." That's Charging Thunder in a phrase. Not flashy, not fragile, just a genuine racehorse who keeps turning up and making life difficult for the opposition.