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Second Australian stakes winner for Night Of Thunder
Former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) sired his tenth stakes winner on Saturday - second in Australia - when his daughter River Night (2 f ex River Pearl by Helmet) landed the Redoute's Choice Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at Caulfield.
The Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained filly was having her fourth career start and she travelled smoothly throughout pulling clear to beat Masseuse (Rubick) by a length.
River Night is out of Helmet (Exceed And Excel) mare River Pearl, who is herself a three-quarters sister to Group 3 winner Kulgrinda (Exceed And Excel) and a half-sister to Listed winner River Delta (Al Maher).
The filly’s third dam is Listed winner Ride The Rapids (River Rough) - the dam of Group 1 winner River Dove (Hurricane Sky) - who produced Group 2 winner and Vinery Stud-based sire Headwater (Exceed And Excel).
Meanwhile, Ride The Rapids is a grandam of Group 1 winner Oneworld (Danehill Dancer) and Group 2 winner First Command (Commands), further afield his the same family as New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Crown Prosecutor (Medaglia d’Oro).
In 2018 River Pearl foaled a filly by former Twin Hills shuttler Bobby’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy), while she has most recently produced a colt by Darley’s Frosted (Tapit) and has been covered by fellow Darley stallion Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible).
Night Of Thunder shuttled to Australia for just one season in 2016 and he is standing at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland for a fee of €25,000 this year.