Al Shabab Storm

Chester is clearly where this horse comes alive. Of its seven races there, two have ended in victory — and those two wins came within a fortnight of each other last July. Chester is a notoriously tight, almost circular track, completely unlike most courses in Britain, and horses that handle it well tend to handle it consistently. Al Shabab Storm handled it brilliantly. The overall career win rate of around 1 in every 7 races (14%) is solid without being exceptional, but at Chester specifically, the record of 2 wins from 7 races tells a much more focused story.

The picture since then, however, is more complicated. Al Shabab Storm hasn't won in the last six races, with recent finishes of 12th, 12th, 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 12th — a pattern that suggests a horse finding life harder at the top level without quite recapturing that peak form. At Class 1, the record reads 1 win from 7 races, which is consistent with a horse that belongs in these races on its best days but can't quite dominate them. Racing just one day ago, it is clearly still an active and well-managed horse.

Michael Appleby's yard is in fine shape this season, having sent out 79 winners, so the support structure is there. Regular jockey Marco Ghiani, who has partnered Al Shabab Storm in 5 of those races together, is still searching for a first win in that combination. That's not necessarily alarming — partnerships take time — but it does add to the sense of a horse that has touched genuine heights and is now working out how to get back to them. The Chester wins of 2024 are the headline, and they are worth celebrating. What happens next is the interesting question.