Thunderbear

The headline moment came at Newbury on 23 September 2023, when Thunderbear won a Class 1 race — one of the top races in Britain. That's a serious achievement for any horse, and it marks him out as genuinely talented rather than just a solid performer at a lower level. His first career win had come about a year earlier, at Fairyhouse in September 2022, so he took his time getting started before finding his best form.

His overall win rate sits at around 14%, or roughly 1 in every 7 races, which is a respectable return across 35 starts. He's also placed — finishing second or third — twelve times, meaning he's been in the mix for a result in more than nearly half his races. That kind of consistency matters. Interestingly, though, when he steps up to Class 2 company, he's gone 0 from 4 — hasn't converted any of those four chances into a win, which suggests the very top tier suits him better on his day than the level just below it. That's an odd quirk, but racing throws those up regularly.

His most recent win came at Naas on 11 October 2025, and his last six runs read 23-11-6-1-5-–, with that "1" — a win — buried in the sequence. He's been ridden most often by Ronan Whelan, who has partnered him ten times for one win together, roughly a 1-in-10 conversion. That's modest, but ten rides is a real partnership, and clearly the team keeps coming back to the same combination.

Thunderbear is trained by Jack W Davison, based in Dunboyne, County Meath — a yard that has sent out 8 winners already this season, so the operation is in decent health. He raced just one day ago, meaning this is a horse very much in the thick of things right now, and with a Class 1 win already on his record, there's every reason to keep watching.