Thunder, the much loved mascot of the Denver Broncos, will be onsite for the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII Sunday at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Thunder, a purebred Arabian who has held the position as Denver Broncos’ mascot since September of 2004, made his first flight today to make his appearance possible.
Thunder is the second Arabian to hold the honor of mascot for the team and is owned by Sharon Magness Blake of Englewood, Colorado.
Thunder, whose registered name is Winter Solstyce, was born in 1994 and is ridden and trained by Ann Judge-Wegener of Bennett, Colorado. Tim Dutta, from the Dutta Corporation located in North Salem, NY,was in charging of flying Thunder to New Jersey.
The much loved grey gelding, who is used to getting apples and carrots from caterers in his home stadium, will be hoping for a similar welcome upon his arrival in New Jersey.
NFL has said Thunder will be able to run out to the Broncos’ end zone whenever the team scores a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks, but not perform his trademark canter from end zone to end zone during the Super Bowl.
Many fans consider his presence alone to be good luck for the team, but whether Thunder’s presence is enough to guarantee a victory for the Broncos over the Seahawks this weekend remains to be seen.