Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton can add to their team for The Championships with King of Thunder and Snow In May

Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton are looking for in-form pair King Of Thunder and Snow In May to claim a stakes double at Rosehill and prime themselves for The Championships.

Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton will be keen to bolster their big-race team for The Championships when promising three-year-olds King Of Thunder and Snow In May race at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

King Of Thunder is the $3.60 TAB Fixed Odds favourite for the Group 2 $300,000 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) and Snow In May is rated a $7 chance when she takes on the older mares in the Group 2 $300,000 Emancipation Stakes (1500m).

O’Shea said King Of Thunder is being primed for the Group 1 $2 million ATC Australian Derby (2400m) at Royal Randwick on April 5 while Snow In May is likely to go the Group 3 $250,000 James HB Carr Stakes (1400m) on April 19.

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Both three-year-olds go to Rosehill as last start winners – King Of Thunder winning over 1900m at Rosehill two weeks ago and Snow In May taking out the Listed Canberra Guineas earlier this month.

O’Shea described King Of Thunder as “a genuine staying three-year-old.”

“It’s the reason we went second-up to 1900m with him,” O’Shea said.

“He’s done well since, we are very happy with him and all going well he will back-up in the Derby.”

Since the Tulloch Stakes was first run in 1973, nine winners of this race have trained on to win the Derby including five this century – Quick Thinker (2020), Angel Of Truth (2019), Levendi (2018), Jon Snow (2017) and Starcraft (2004).

Snow In May has drawn perfectly in barrier five for the Emancipation Stakes and gets in on the limit weight of 53kg.

King Of Thunder is just far too good at Rosehill for @JohnOSheaRacing! 💥@ZacLloydx gets on the board early! pic.twitter.com/oAeWzEpCCb

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 15, 2025

“I thought Snow In May did a really good job at Canberra,” O’Shea said. “All going well on Saturday, we will probably drop her back to 1400m for the James HB Carr Stakes after Saturday.”

The O’Shea-Charlton stable will have a strong entry for The Championships at Royal Randwick including Randwick Guineas winner Linebacker in the Group 1 $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) on April 5 and tough stayer Athabascan in the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 12.

But O’Shea revealed last start Group 1 William Reid Stakes winner Schwarz won’t back up in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes on Day One of The Championships.

“Schwarz likes being fresh so we won’t go to the TJ with him,” O’Shea said.

“We plan to give him a barrier trial in May and then take him to Brisbane and run in the (Group 1) BTC Cup.”

Schwarz, a superbly-bred son of champion sire Zoustar, is almost certain to be retired to stud at the end of the season.

Originally published as Trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton can add to their team for The Championships with King of Thunder and Snow In May