Frankel filly stamps her class in the Salsabil

Joseph O’Brien won last year's Gr.3 Salsabil Stakes  at Navan with the subsequent Gr.1 Oaks fourth and Gr.1 Irish Oaks runner-up Wemightakedlongway, and took the contest again on Saturday (25th April) yesterday with Shapoor Mistry’s homebred Frankel filly Thundering On.
Taken from the European Bloodstock News, 26th April 2026:

The daughter of Frankel tracked the leader on the rail in third and was always poised to strike, despite having to wait for a gap to emerge at the two-furlong marker. Soon after, she cantered between rivals to lead a furlong out and came away from the field to prevail decisively by three and a quarter lengths. Donnacha O’Brien’s Emmeleia, who was prominent throughout, won the race for second, with a further half a length back to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Bloom in third.

Well supported late in the market, this was a maiden success for the three-year-old, who had been fourth on debut at the Curragh last October. Later that month, she finished second to Ballydoyle’s Sugar Island in the Gr.3 Staffordstown Stud Stakes, emphasising the esteem she was held in. She made her seasonal reappearance earlier in the month at Leopardstown and once again had to settle for second, beaten just a short head by the multiple Group-placed juvenile Skydance.

Thundering On, who holds entries for the Gr.1 Oaks, Gr.1 Irish Oaks and Gr.1 Pretty Polly Stakes, is the only foal out of the late Pretty Polly Stakes heroine Thundering Nights, who was also trained by Joseph O’Brien. The further family includes the multiple US Gr.1 winner Domestic Spending (Kingman).