Group One winner I’m Thunderstruck is being set once more towards the A$5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) at The Valley on March 18.
The son of Shocking finished runner-up to Zaaki in the rich feature at Flemington earlier this year, and his connections are keen to try and get the lion’s share of the purse in March.
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, I’m Thunderstruck carries the silks of OTI Racing.
“The All-Star Mile is a race that fits perfectly into I’m Thunderstruck’s preparation. Given the lucrative prizemoney on offer, it is a most enticing option for our five-year-old gelding,” OTI Racing principal Terry Henderson said.
“He is a popular horse and we’d expect him to poll enough votes to gain an automatic entry. Doing so takes away any uncertainty or the need to rely on a wildcard. Either way, Thunder will bring a great deal to the race and we’d be surprised, as long as he stays fit and well, if he wasn’t lining up in the race.
“This race, courtesy of the public vote system and associated benefits for the winning owner ambassadors, generates a great deal of positive interest in the industry. While it doesn’t carry a Group One rating, the field is becoming a Group One class line-up. For the owners of the contending horses, the prizemoney available is outstanding.”
The New Zealand-bred gelding had a pleasing spring, winning the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and was runner-up in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m), Gr.1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m), and Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m).
