Donn McClean selects a 10-1 chance in the G1 Lockinge Stakes - 'He should be shorter than he is'

Journalist and Broadcaster Donn McClean joined Emma Nagle this week to preview the weekend’s action in Naas on Sunday and at Newbury in the UK on Saturday.

The Group 1 Lockinge Stakes is the feature race at Newbury where Aidan O’Brien will saddle The Lion In Winter and Mississippi River Donn McLean is looking elsewhere though and selects a 10-1 chance for the home team.

Progressive type the one to watch

William Haggas had a big chance here with More Thunder I thought he'd be shorter than he is.

He's a five-year-old now, but he was really progressive last season.

He was with Sir Michael Stoute. He actually won over ten furlongs with Sir Michael Stoute, then came back last year and had a kind of workmanlike prep.

He won a handicap at Newmarket at the Craven meeting and he won another handicap at the Guineas meeting under a 5lb penalty - the same races that Double Rush won this year, the two Newmarket races.

Double Rush has an entry in the Golden Jubilee over six furlongs. But More Thunder went out and stepped up in trip, was only just beaten in the Wokingham, won the Bunbury Cup over seven furlongs, then went back to Newbury and won the Hungerford Stakes, a Group Two race.

His final run last season was in the Prix de la Foret. He finished fourth. I thought he did well to finish fourth - he was drawn very wide, had a wide trip throughout, was back in the field, stayed on well, and finished off his race best of all, and that was over seven furlongs.

Trip shouldn’t be a problem

So he's back up to a mile now. He has to prove he can again be effective at a mile at this level. But the fact that he won over ten furlongs for Sir Michael Stoute is significant.

His half-brother Ralph Beckett has, won over a mile as well, and I think there's every chance that he'll get a mile.

Given how strongly he finished off his race in the Foret over seven furlongs, that's a positive in that regard as well.

The William Haggas horses are in really good form at York this week. I know he's a Yorkshire man and he likes to have winners at York, but he had two winners and a second from four runners.

More Thunder because he was so progressive last season, I think there could be more to come from him, and the step up to a mile is interesting. I thought he should have been shorter than he is.

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