Thunder getting ready to Rock and roll into Cheltenham
Recent win at Carlisle teed him up for a crack at a big prize.
Thunder Rock is being prepared for the Virgin Bet December Gold Cup Handicap Chase next month, with Olly Murphy keen to have a crack at Cheltenham’s valuable pre-Christmas feature. The seven-year-old won his first two outings over the larger obstacles before running with credit in some high-class events last term and impressed on his return to action at Carlisle with a victory over Mahler Mission in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Chase. The runner-up is disputing favouritism for Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, with Murphy targeting handicap riches of his own at Cheltenham on December 16.😍 Nice seasonal reappearance
🐎11-8F Thunder Rock makes an impressive return to action in the feature race @CarlisleRaces the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase for @Sean_Bowen_ & @O_J_murphy91 pic.twitter.com/w8mh8LPbw6 — Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 5, 2023
There is a prize-fund of GBP 130,000 up for grabs in the showpiece event of Prestbury Park’s December Meeting and the Warren Chase handler is keen to take his chance while Thunder Rock is currently rated 146 over fences. “He’s in good form and he’s being trained for the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham,” said Murphy. “That’s the plan of action and it’s his turn to try to win at Cheltenham and we’re going to have a go at a really good handicap. He’s come out of Carlisle really well and he’s going to be trained for that race. “It wasn’t a humungous entry so we’re going to have a go and it’s unbelievable prize-money. He actually ran really well over course and distance there in January in the Dipper, he’s in good form, we’ll go there fresh and we’re looking forward to running him.”
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