DUBAI: Thunder Snow made history on Saturday by becoming the first back-to-back winner in the Dubai World Cup with a thrilling victory over Gronkowski at Meydan. The five-year-old defied a wide draw to give trainer Saeed bin Suroor his ninth success in the feature of the world"s richest raceday. Favourite Capezzano and Gronkowski made the early running ahead of Thunder Snow, but the defending champion stayed on under pressure from jockey Christophe Soumillon to overhaul Gronkowski in the dying strides and win by a nose after a photo finish. The horse landed the $12 million prize for Godolphin owned by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Gronkowski had to settle for second at odds of 28/1, while Gunnevera (12/1) was a distant third as Capezzano slipped out of contention.