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“It has been decided after discussions with (owner) Mr. Christopher Tsui that
“He’s had a long season and has been in regular fast work from March 3, with
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“He’s come out of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) in his usual good
form. He is fit and healthy and has been cantering since the race.
“He is now retiring from racing, but I have no information on stud career
details and an announcement will be made at a much later date when plans have
been finalized.”
Bred by Tsui in Ireland, Sea the Stars’ lone career defeat came in his debut
as a juvenile, when he experienced traffic trouble en route to a fourth-place
finish at the Curragh. He duly broke his maiden next time out at Leopardstown
and concluded his two-year-old season with a score in the Beresford S. (Ire-G2)
back at the Curragh.
Sea the Stars conquered all who came before him in six starts this season. He
kicked off his historic campaign with a decisive 1 1/2-length score in the Two
Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket, then answered all questions about his
stamina with 1 3/4-length triumph in the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) over 1 1/2 miles,
thus becoming the first colt since Nashwan (1989) to win the first two legs of
the English Triple Crown. But like his predecessor, Sea the Stars was never
seriously considered for the St Leger S. (Eng-G1) and Nijinksy II (1970) remains
the last three-year-old to sweep the series.
Sea the Stars would go on to make history in other ways. Though technically
running in races open to older horses, Sea the Stars found his sternest
competition to be from his fellow three-year-olds in his next several starts. He
turned back a strong challenge from eventual Sussex S. (Eng-G1) and Queen
Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) Rip Van Winkle (Galileo [Ire]) to land the 10-furlong
Eclipse at Sandown in a course record 2:03 2/5, then reeled in last year’s Irish
champion juvenile and classic winner Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) in the
10-furlong Juddmonte International (Eng-G1) at York by a length in another
course record time of 2:05 1/5.
Sea the Stars next renewed rivalry with Fame and Glory (Montjeu [Ire]) in the
Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) at Leopardstown over 1 1/4 miles. Fame and Glory had
run second to Sea the Stars in the Epsom Derby and followed up with a
five-length romp in the Irish Derby (Ire-G1), a race Sea the Stars was withdrawn
from due to soft ground. The Irish Champion turned out to be even more decisive
than the Derby, with Sea the Stars looking every bit the winner in the last
quarter-mile. The margin was a season-high 2 1/2 lengths, an impressive
performance given the champion’s tendency to win eased up.
Getting his preferred good-to-firm ground in the October 4 Prix de l’Arc de
Triomphe at Longchamp over 1 1/2 miles, Sea the Stars easily bested virtually
every top filly and older horse in Europe with a devastating turn of foot in the
three-furlong stretch. Very rank in the early stages, Sea the Stars finally
settled far off the early pacesetters along the rail, extricated himself from
trouble at the top of the straight, and split rivals with ease in a display of
speed none of his 19 rivals could match.
Sea the Stars capped his perfect campaign with six Group 1 wins in total, and
became the first horse ever to win the Guineas, Derby and Arc in the same
season, a trio of races that had eluded such standouts as Nijinsky II, Mill Reef
and Dancing Brave. Ridden throughout his career by Mick Kinane, Sea the Stars
retires with a mark of 9-8-0-0, $6,808,542.
Sea the Stars’ dam, French highweight Urban Sea, captured such notable events
as the Prix d’Harcourt (Fr-G2), Prix Gontaut Biron (Fr-G3) and Prix Exbury
(Fr-G3) in addition to the Arc. She has been even more outstanding as a
broodmare, with all eight of her runners earning black type. Her first foal,
Urban Ocean (Bering [GB]), was an Irish highweight and Group 3 winner. Next came
English stakes queen Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra), runner-up in the Irish Oaks
(Ire-G1) and third in the Oaks (Eng-G1) at Epsom. Galileo (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells)
reigned as Europe’s champion three-year-old of 2001 after garnering the Derby,
Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1).
Galileo’s younger brother, Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler’s Wells), earned Italian
highweight status by virtue of his score in the 2002 Gran Premio del Jockey Club
(Ity-G1), and in 2003 he added the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1) to his resume.
Galileo and Black Sam Bellamy’s full sister, All Too Beautiful (Ire) (Sadler’s
Wells), was an English Group 3 heroine and runner-up in the 2004 Oaks at Epsom.
Urban Sea’s next foal, eight-time stakes victress My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant’s
Causeway), raced exclusively in the United States, with her signature victory
coming in the 2007 Diana S. (G1) at Saratoga. That same season, her maiden
half-sister Cherry Hinton (Green Desert) placed in an Irish Group 3 affair.
Urban Sea died in early March from complications after foaling an Invincible
Spirit colt.
Urban Sea is herself a half-sister to King’s Best (Kingmambo), hero of the
Two Thousand Guineas in 2000, as well as French Group 3 queen Allez Les Trois (Riverman),
the dam of Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) winner Anabaa Blue (Anabaa).
This is also the family of Tamayuz (Nayef), who won last year’s Prix Jacques le
Marois (Fr-G1) and Prix Jean Prat (Fr-G1).