Storm Ultralight

Storm Ultralight put up a smart performance on his first run in the UK to land a Class 2 conditions race run over a mile at Lingfield on Friday. Slowly enough away on the inside, he showed enough early pace to maintain the rail position just behind Marine Boy, whose rider was keen to bag the early lead. Settled nicely in second place on the rail, Storm Ultralight took it up off Marine Boy about three furlongs out, before they started to turn for home, kicked on around the bend and was suddenly three lengths clear. Four lengths clear passing the furlong pole, he kept on well all the way to the line to win well.

This was a good performance. Runner-up Tazeez, who was sent off a warm favourite, won the Earl of Sefton Stakes at this time last year, and was only four lengths behind Vision D’Etat in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, while third placed Cloudy Start was useful last year when with Henry Cecil and remains under-rated, and Storm Ultralight beat the pair of them really impressively. Bred in Argentina, the son of Bernstein won a six-and-a-half-furlong listed race in Uruguay last April by 12 lengths. Of course, it is difficult to know the comparative worth of Uruguayan form, but an official rating of 100 suggested that he had a lot to do on his UK debut getting just 3lb from the 113-rated Tazeez. His trainer, Mahmood Al Zarooni, in his first season as a Godolphin trainer, seemed to have no worries about the mile trip beforehand, and the fact that he gets it opens up options for Storm Ultralight. He is an interesting recruit to the UK, and he may remain under-rated.

30th April 2010