Thunderous Love

What really sets Thunderous Love apart is how much she loves fast, dry ground. On those conditions, she has won 4 of her 11 races — that is better than 1 in 3, comfortably above her overall rate. For context, her win rate on other ground drops sharply, which means the team will always be watching the weather forecast before committing to a run. She also has a particular affinity with Nottingham, winning 2 of her 4 races there. Two wins from four at any track is the kind of record that makes a trainer smile — it suggests a horse that genuinely takes to a particular place, whether that is the shape of the track, the way the ground rides, or simply familiarity.

Her last win came at Salisbury on 26 July 2025, and she has not won in the six races since. The recent form figures — 5th, 7th, 6th, 9th, 6th, 9th — tell a story of a horse that has gone a little flat, though her trainer is quick to offer context. Her most recent run, at Pontefract, ended with her last of five, but Portman has been clear that is best ignored entirely: there was chaos at the stalls, she was left standing far too long, and she never really got into the race at all. It is the kind of run that looks bad on paper but means very little in practice.

The honest challenge she faces is that her own success has made life harder. Six wins means she has climbed the ratings ladder, and finding suitable races at the right level is genuinely tricky. Portman has his eye on a six-furlong race at Goodwood as a possible next step — fast ground, a sharp track, and a competitive but manageable level. Given what she can do on her day, that is a combination worth taking seriously. She is ridden most often by Rob Hornby, who has won 3 of their 16 races together — the same 1-in-5 rate that defines her career overall.