Celestial Storm

Celestial Storm was unraced as a two-year-old, having undergone surgery for "joint trouble". He began his racing career with a three length win in a maiden race at Newmarket Racecourse in July 1986. His next race was the Extel Handicap over ten furlongs at Goodwood Racecourse a race which Luca Cumani had won for three years in succession. Celestial Storm started the heavily backed favourite but finished third behind his stable companion Chinoiserie.[5] On his next appearance, the colt finished second to Power Bender in a handicap race at Newmarket. Celestial Storm was then moved up in distance for the March Stakes over fourteen furlongs at Goodwood and won impressively[6] from Sadeem and Fleeting Affair.[7]

On 13 September Celestial Storm was one of eight three-year-olds to contest the 210th running of the St Leger at Doncaster Racecourse. Ridden by Steve Cauthen, he started at odds of 6/1 and finished second behind Moon Madness. On his final appearance of the season he was brought back in distance and matched against older horses in the Champion Stakes over ten furlongs at Newmarket on 18 October. Ridden by Ray Cochrane, Celestial Storm produced a strong late run to finish second, three-quarters of a length behind the four-year-old filly Triptych and four lengths clear of Park Express in third place. The result was only confirmed after the racecourse stewards failed to sustain an objection by Cochrane, who alleged that the winner had caused interference to the runner-up in the closing stages.[7]

Problems with the tendons in his right foreleg meant that Celestial Storm did not appear as a four-year-old until the July meeting at Newmarket where he started the 13/8 favourite for the Princess of Wales's stakes over one and a half miles. Ridden by Cochrane, he accelerated clear of the field in the closing stages to win by two and half lengths from Phardante in a course record time of 2:28.68. Eighteen days later, Celestial Storm ran in Britain's most prestigious weight-for-age race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He started at odds of 5/1 in a field of eight which included the Derby winner Reference Point, the Irish Derby winner Sir Harry Lewis, the German champion Acatenango, the Italian champion Tony Bin, and the Oaks winner Unite as well as Triptych and Moon Madness. Celestial Storm was never able to challenge Reference Point, who won by three lengths but was second best on the day, wearing down Triptych in the straight to take the runner-up's prize by a neck. Celestial Storm was then aimed at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in October, but was withdrawn[8] after suffering a recurrence of his tendon injury.[9]