King Of Thunder

That sole win came at Haydock Park on 17 October 2025, and it remains the defining moment of his career so far. Haydock is a proper, well-regarded track in the north-west of England, and winning there means something. The fact that he hasn't added to that win in the seven months since — finishing sixth, twelfth, sixth, and then second most recently — suggests he's been in trickier spots or simply hasn't found the same spark. But that second place in his most recent outing, just one day ago, is an encouraging sign that he hasn't gone off the boil.

He's trained by Hugo Palmer, whose yard is based in Malpas, Cheshire — not far at all from Haydock, which may partly explain why King Of Thunder looked so at home there. Palmer is having a productive season, sending out 66 winners already, which tells you this is a well-run, active operation with horses in good form. When a yard is operating at that volume, the horses getting race time are there on merit.

King Of Thunder is young, still learning, and clearly capable of winning at a decent track. Whether that Haydock win turns out to be the foundation of something bigger, or a high point to be built around, the next few races should tell us a lot.