Charging Thunder

The high point of his career came at Pontefract in June 2022, when he won a Class 2 race — a result that confirmed he could mix it with some of the better horses in the country. Jockey William Buick, one of the top riders in Britain, put it plainly after another tough effort: "Charging Thunder has toughed it out." That about sums him up. He is not flashy, but he competes. His trainer James Owen — whose Newmarket yard has sent out an impressive 205 winners this season alone — has always felt the horse had more to offer, describing him as a half-brother to two horses who improved significantly with age, and suggesting he might eventually step up into the very best races once he fully matured.

Where Charging Thunder genuinely thrives is on normal, standard ground. On those conditions he has won 3 from 9 races, a win rate of 33% — roughly 1 in every 3, which is remarkable in a sport where even the best horses rarely win more than 1 in 4. That number tells you something important: get him on the right ground and he is a different horse altogether.

His recent run of form makes for less cheerful reading. He has gone 6 races without a win, and his last victory came at Wolverhampton in July 2025 — now 11 months ago. His most recent race produced a finish outside the top ten, though he did manage a fourth-place effort two runs back. His regular partner Daniel Tudhope has ridden him 11 times for 2 wins, a rate of about 1 in 5. Interestingly, James Owen has spoken openly about the possibility of Charging Thunder eventually going hurdling — moving from flat racing to jumping — though a recent promising run at Yarmouth was enough to make the team reconsider, at least for now. Whatever comes next, this is a horse whose story does not feel finished yet.