Joseph O’Brien has confirmed that Oaks hero Thundering On will likely go for the Irish equivalent after her impressive Epsom success.
Thundering On To Head For Irish Oaks Next
Joseph O’Brien won his first Epsom Oaks as a trainer last Friday with Thundering On who was given a peach of a ride from young jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.
It was one of the most impressive Oaks performances in recent history, and the daughter of Frankel did it easily.
WATCH: Thundering On Destroys Oaks Field
Wow. Wow. Wow! 😱
𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧 brilliantly wins the Betfred Oaks at Epsom 👑 pic.twitter.com/3ev8KpXbjH
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 5, 2026
O’Brien Confirms Irish Oaks Plan For Thundering On
The Oaks winner is now around 4/5 to complete the double and O’Brien was speaking about his filly.
“We’ll see closer to the time, but I’d say the most likely route is that she’ll go straight to the Irish Oaks.
“I think it makes sense and it’s the most obvious path. That’s what we have in mind at the moment.
“It looks like a mile and a half is her best trip now, given what she did at Epsom. We’ll be happy coming back to ten furlongs in the future if we have to, but it looks like a mile and a half is a good trip for her.
“It was very special for us to win a Classic at Epsom, particularly in the manner that she did. You’d have to be very excited about her future but we’ll take it race by race as we always do.”
James J Braddock also ran a huge race to finish third in the Derby and could head straight to the Irish Derby at the end of June.
The Kevin Blake-owned runner can be backed at around 10/1 for the Irish Derby and he’ll likely be the yard’s number one hope for that race.
