Even without the star quality of Rebel’s Romance (Ire), the Charlie Appleby stable still managed a one-two in the G1 Dubai City of Gold, with Global Storm (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) holding off the late challenge of Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to give Godolphin the perfect start to Super Saturday.
The six-year-old winner was making his first start since last September and, despite being winless for most of last year following a February Meydan handicap success, he had posted some decent placed efforts including when third to the talented Yibir (GB) in the G2 Princess of Wales’s S. at Newmarket’s July meeting.
Given a positive ride by William Buick, Global Storm was driven to the front early in proceedings despite being drawn wide in 11, and thereafter the pair dominated proceedings from an easy lead, extending their advantage in the straight to beat Kemari by two and a half lengths. The Musabbeh Al Mheiri-trained and Godolphin-bred Daramethos (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) took third, finishing a neck in front of Rakeez (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
“This horse had been working with Rebel’s Romance and he’s a solid old campaigner out here and was just touched off in this race last year by Hukum,” said Appleby. “Will gave him a lovely ride on the front end and dictated it from the back stretch. He’d done plenty of galloping so we were confident he’d be fit enough.”
Buick said, “He had to work to get to the front but he did everything right and he is a very relaxed horse so you never worry about him over-racing. He got to the front and pricked his ears and it was just [a case of ] what he was going to find in the straight. Once he picked up on the apex of the turn I thought it would take something decent to get past him. He was third in this race last year and if you go back to that form and the third in Princess of Wales’s, on his day he is a pretty decent horse.”
He added, “Charlie told me to ride him and he told me how to ride him so I thank him for that.”
Pedigree notes
Bred by Grenane House Stud and bought by Godolphin from Powerstown Stud at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale for 260,000gns, Global Storm is the first foal of the Street Cry (Ire) mare Travel, herself bred by Darley and a half-sister to the brilliant but ill-fated Eight Belles (Unbridled’s Song), as well as the multiple Jebel Ali winner Ecsape Route (Elusive Quality).
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