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Night Of Thunder filly provides pedigree update for Almanzor half-brother

The Robert Patterson-trained Regal Ruby (3 f Night Of Thunder - Choice by Mastercraftsman) shed her maiden tag at the third attempt when she landed the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race Maiden Stakes (1400m) at New Plymouth and in the process handed her Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) half-brother with a valuable pedigree update ahead of him going under the hammer at next year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. 

The three-year-old came into the race off the back of a second place finish over 1100 metres at the same track on October 23, and she finally got her head in front when beating La Strata (Stratum) by a head. Azafran (All Too Hard) was another length and a half away in third. 

The daughter of former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) was purchased for NZ$50,000 by her trainer at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale and she is the first winner out of the Group 3-winning Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) mare Choice. 

The filly hails from the same family as Listed winners Latin Quarter (Danehill) and Elected (Bletchingly). 

Choice’s colt by former Haunui Farm shuttler Iffraaj (Zafonic) was purchased by John Foote for NZ$210,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale earlier this year, while her aforementioned colt from the first southern hemisphere crop of Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor will be offered by Bhima Thoroughbreds as Lot 157 on the Gold Coast in January and this season she foaled a filly by Darley’s Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor). 

Night Of Thunder shuttled to Australia for one season and he will stand at Kildangan Stud in Ireland for a fee of €75,000 in 2021, having stood the 2020 season for €25,000.