Black Storm, Fitzsimmons get reward for consistency

BENDIGO galloper Black Storm continues to show signs of the potential his trainer Tim Fitzsimmons sees in him, landing his first city win on Australian turf at Sandown last week.

It was a reward for consistency as the five-year-old gelding headed to Melbourne fifth-up into the preparation, following a win and three seconds on country tracks.

Black Storm benefited from a brilliant front-running ride by Ballarat jockey Jaylah Kennedy, with the son of American-bred and Irish-trained sire Caravaggio easily holding his rivals at bay in the straight for a polished one-and-a-quarter-length 1600m benchmark 70 win.

Fitzsimmons, who relocated to Bendigo from Singapore at the end of last year, has never wavered in his view that Black Storm would be one of his imported gallopers more than capable of stepping up to city class racing in Australia.

His view was quick to be vindicated with a win filled with promise.

It was Black Storm’s fourth overall win from 17 starts, and his second in five Australian runs, adding to success on his home track at Bendigo over 1500m in May.

A delighted Fitzsimmons, who has quietly but effectively notched up a 22 per cent winning strike rate since his return to Australia, praised Black Storm as tough and as not having run a bad race since the move.

“And the runs where he hasn’t won, he’s been really unlucky. He’s been held up a few times,” he said.

“He drew barrier 17 (the previous week) and 17 again (last week), and we were almost going to scratch him.

“But he trialled so well in the lead-up, so I thought we’ve just got to roll the dice.

“(The plan) was just to be really positive. If we slotted in somewhere, that would have been great, but it rarely happens.

“Jaylah rode him really well and stacked them up around the back.

“He’s a really fit horse and gave a good kick. The blinkers seemed to have switched him on.

“I knew fitness wasn’t going to be the reason he got beat.”

Black Storm’s solid Australian form is in stark contrast to his injury-riddled last 12 months in Singapore.

“The last 12 months over there he had a foot issue, so he didn’t race. So I never really got to the bottom of him,” Fitsimmons said.

“I had hoped he would be one of the more progressive ones that I’d brought back and he’s proven to be.”

Equally as impressive as his winning strike rate is Fitzsimmons’ win-place strike rate of 51 per cent, from fewer than 50 starters.

Kennedy, who was having her first sit on Black Storm, described him as a ‘lovely-going’ horse and his win as ‘effortless’.

“He is very tough – I’ve noticed that in his replays – he doesn’t know how to lie down,” she said.