More Thunder and Never So Brave face off in Park Stakes Derby-winning owner Saeed Suhail’s two best horses, More Thunder and Never So Brave, face off against each other in the Betfred Park Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday. Suhail, who has twice walked into the fabled Epsom enclosure after landing the premier Classic with Kris Kin (2003) and Desert Crown (2022), is happy to let his current top pair meet having managed to keep them apart so far this season. The William Haggas-trained More Thunder has been plying his trade against the best over a mile, but on the advice of jockey Tom Marquand drops down in trip to seven furlongs after being supplemented for the Park Stakes on Monday, while Andrew Balding’s Never So Brave was a Group One winner last season. Distance Dilemma for Park Stakes Duo “We’ve been trying to keep them apart, but it looks the right race for both and Saeed is happy for them both to take their chance,” said the owner’s racing manager Philip Robinson. “It’s a bit of a test with More Thunder. Tom got off last time and is convinced seven furlongs is what he wants, but watching him you’d think he might want a mile and a quarter. Tom just said riding him he thinks he’d appreciate going back to seven. “He was very impressive in the Hungerford Stakes over seven last year so at least after this we’ll know where we stand for sure.” He went on: “Never So Brave is in great form, Andrew is absolutely delighted with him, so Saeed was happy to run him too. “He hasn’t been running badly at all, even look at his run in the Sussex (finished sixth) — he wasn’t far away at all that day behind Bow Echo. “If I had to put my money down it would be on More Thunder but it wouldn’t be a great surprise if the other horse was bang there — he’s a Group One winner at the trip.” Flora Of Bermuda Prepares for Final Campaign Balding also runs the mare Flora Of Bermuda, three times a winner this season. Richard Brown, racing adviser to her owners Wathnan Racing, said: “Obviously she’s tough and she’s consistent. She’s been star for us and she’ll have one or two more runs and that will be her off to the paddocks. “It looks hard, but I’m sure she’ll run her race — she always does. More Thunder is very good, so I think he’ll be hard to beat.” Qirat is another who has struck at the highest level before — when a shock winner of the Sussex last season for Ralph Beckett — and arrives following a fine effort at Goodwood recently. “He’s been a star and I thought he ran as good a race as ever the last day, finishing second (to Zavateri in the Celebration Mile),” said Barry Mahon of owners Juddmonte. “He’s won his Group Three (this season) and I thought he acquitted himself at Goodwood on the first day (fourth in Lennox Stakes). He’s just a good, solid, genuine type of horse who runs his race and hopefully he will again on Saturday.” Desert Castle Faces Champagne Stakes Test Charlie Appleby’s Desert Castle is a hot favourite for the Betfred Champagne Stakes after an impressive debut win at Newmarket last month. Appleby said: “He’s got a big reputation, but he was very raw on his first start at Newmarket and he has come forward from that “I always feel when you come to Doncaster with just one run you could probably do with a little bit more experience. It’s great, but there’s a fair old crowd and he struggled with the crowd at Newmarket that day and had a good old look at them. “It’s not a negative, but that would be in the back of my mind — I just hope he’s got enough experience to be able to utilise what ability he has got, because there’s no doubt there’s an engine there.” Fresh Breacher Bids for Solario Step-Up William Muir and Chris Grassick’s Breacher was third in the Solario Stakes and is another with claims. Muir said: “It’s a fortnight since he ran and he’s come out of it really, really well. He never left an oat and hardly lost any weight and it’s all back on and more, so I’m comfortable with him in quite a lot of ways.” On the lofty regard the trainer holds the youngster, he added: “Just because he’s one of my nicest horses it doesn’t mean he’s the nicest horse in the world, it just means he’s one of my nicest.”
