Storm Damage surges home in Ras Al Khor

Storm Damage lowered his own seven-furlong course record at Meydan, UAE, as he led home a Godolphin 1-2-3-4 in the new Ras Al Khor Sponsored By Emirates Airline on Super Saturday, 5 March.

The four-year-old son of Night Of Thunder, who set the previous best mark when scoring impressively in the Listed Business Bay Challenge in February, broke well and soon tracked the front-running Al Suhail.

Storm Damage loomed up to hit the front with two furlongs left and readily opened up daylight over his 15 rivals under Frankie Dettori, powering clear to prevail by a length and three-quarters in 1m 21.67s, a tenth of a second quicker than his previous record.

Business Bay Challenge runner-up Mutafawwig closed late to take the same spot again and provide Saeed bin Suroor with a 1-2. Path Of Thunder and D’bai filled the minor places for Charlie Appleby.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Storm Damage is improving all the time. I remember when he won first time out at Kempton and since then he has just improved – he would be one of the nicest horses in our stable.

“We will keep options open. He could go for the Godolphin Mile but it will depend on what rating they give him. He has not run on the dirt before but he has run over a mile and won well.

“Frankie said a mile would be no problem. The question mark is the surface and we will make a decision in a few days. He could be a horse for Royal Ascot later in the year.”

Frankie Dettori said: “I spent many years with Saeed and it is always a great pleasure riding for him. Storm Damage is a sweet horse and did it really well.

“William was getting tanked with a little bit up front and I knew his horse had not run for a while, so I annoyed him because my horse is race-fit.

“The race fell apart a lot quicker than I thought, which meant I had to make my own way home, and the horse answered my every call.”