21 Aug New Group winner for Night of Thunder as Gewan powers home

Andrew Balding, who won this race with the subsequent Gr.1 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean back in 2022, added a second Gr.3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes to his CV at York when Gewan powered clear on the run towards the line to win yesterday.

The two-year-old son of Night Of Thunder sat in behind the pace during the early stages of the 7f contest under P J McDonald. As the race began to come to the boil at the three-furlong marker, Gewan pressed the leader and soon picked up the pace. However, he had not yet shaken off the challenge from Aidan O’Brien’s Italy (Wootton Bassett), who appeared very quickly on his right-hand side, but having responded well to his jockey’s urgings, Gewan showed great courage and pulled a length and a half clear of Italy to win. The Charlie Appleby-trained and Godolphin-owned Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) was a further three and a quarter lengths behind in third under William Buick. The winning rider, P J McDonald said: “He’s very nice. His mind is A1. He is going to learn a lot in the next sixth months through the winter. He’s going to be a lovely horse next year. It probably wasn’t my brightest idea going to the front two out on a horse having his second run at York on a busy day like today, but he was doing everything so comfortably for me and I felt at ease the whole time.” This was a second career success and a first Group win for Gewan, who is entered in the Gr.2 Champagne Stakes and the Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes during the autumn. He is the first winner out of the two-year-old winner and Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux runner-up Grey Mystere (Lethal Force). The next dam is the Mr Greeley mare Creamcake, who produced four other winners, including the winner and Listed Prix Caravelle second Ginalyah (Chachnak).