Three-year-old pacing filly No Storm Damage didn’t get to the races at Cal-Expo until late last month, but she’s been trying her best to make up for lost time by crossing the wire first in all three of her starts for owner/driver/trainer Troy Thomas.
“I bought her in March, because I was looking for a filly, and she’s pretty much done everything I’ve asked since,” related Thomas when asked about the daughter of Cr Fandango Fella. “She’s always shown ability, and the important thing is that she wants to be a racehorse.”
Although she was disqualified in her initially-victorious debut, No Storm Damage was impressive on the front-end that evening. She came back one week later and recorded a wire-to-wire win at odds of 1-2. In her race last week -- in which she faced a tougher group -- she left to the lead, settled into the pocket at the half, and then came home in :28.1 to prevail by a neck in a 1:57.3 performance.
“She’s still green, but there’s no question she has the talent,” Thomas noted. “I’ve been putting her on the lead because I feel she’s best and you don’t want to get too far behind, but she’s always trained well from behind and I actually switch her back and forth in the mornings.”
No Storm Damage tracked nicely when she was passed down the backside in her most recent race. She ended up coming out in the stretch, where she responded when asked.
“I felt we had the leader measured when I came out of the hole, but once she made the lead she did a little stargazing. When she heard the other horse coming, though, she focused again and dug in.”
Since he first got No Storm Damage in the spring, the goal has been to get her ready for the sophomore sire stakes which will begin again at the end of the month.
“That’s the plan, and it would be nice to win at least one of those races,” Troy said.
Live racing will resume at Cal-Expo on Thursday, October 21 and will continue through Saturday, October 23. Approximate first-race post time will be 5:45 p.m. (PDT).
Now on Saturdays, Cal-Expo offers a reduced 15 per cent takeout rate on both the Early and Late Pick-4 wagers with both Pick-4s now having a $10,000 gross-guaranteed pool.
(Cal-Expo)