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SEA THE STARS, the Irish-trained record-breaking horse who took the 2009 European horse racing season by storm and captivated race-goers is the subject of this 6-Race Time Capsule. His epic six consecutive Group 1 victories in the span of six months in his three-year-old season firmly secured his place among flat racing's all-time greats being compared to other modern-day legends SEA-BIRD, NIJINSKY II, MILL REEF and DANCING BRAVE. His 2009 achievement of winning the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is unparalleled in racing history and his three-year-old record season is described by many as the best of any modern thoroughbred.
Bred, owned and raced by the Tsui family, SEA THE STARS, by CAPE CROSS, is out of the U.S.-bred (Denali Stud in Paris, Kentucky) blue hen mare URBAN SEA (by MISWAKI), the dam of six other stakes winners and three champions: URBAN OCEAN, Champion 3-year-old Male in Ireland in 1999; GALILEO, Champion 3-year-old Male in England in 2001; and BLACK SAM BELLAMY, Champion 3-year-old Male in Italy in 2002. URBAN SEA is one of only two mares to ever produce two Epsom Derby winners, namely GALILEO and SEA THE STARS.
The Tsui family's beloved mare, URBAN SEA, who died the Spring of 2009 after delivering a colt by INVINCIBLE MOMENT, was Champion Older Female in France following her own victory in the Arc, and was honored as Broodmare of the Year in England in 2001.
Superbly trained by John Oxx and ridden with supreme skill by 50-year-old Mick Kinane, SEA THE STARS lost just one of his nine races during his two years on the track (2008-2009) - in which he amassed over $6.8 million in prize money - and that was his 2008 racecourse debut as a juvenile at the Curragh where he experienced traffic trouble and finished a close-up fourth. He then duly broke his maiden next time out at Leopardstown on unfavorably soft ground before landing the Beresford Stakes (Ire-G2) back at the Curragh, hinting at what was to come the following year.
He kicked off his historic campaign being sent off at 8-1 for the 2009 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, he beat hot favorite DELEGATOR by a decisive length and a half and became the first horse since NASHWAN in 1989 to follow up in the Epsom Derby, where he beat FAME AND GLORY by a length and three-quarters with devastating ease.
The Coral-Eclipse was next at Sandown where he disposed of subsequent Sussex Stakes and QEII winner RIP VAN WINKLE. At York in the Juddmonte International, he scared away everyone bar Aidan O'Brien to make it four Group Ones in a row after reeling in MASTERCRAFTSMAN and followed up in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, beating old rival FAME AND GLORY.
But his crowning glory came at Longchamp in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe's premier middle-distance race at 1-1/2 miles. Very rank in the early stages, SEA THE STARS finally settled far off the early pacesetters along the rail and dazzled with an almost unbelievable turn off foot in the three-furlong stretch to overcome traffic and a high-class field. He extricated himself from trouble at the top of the straight with ease in a display of speed none of his 19 rivals could match, split horses and crushed virtually every top filly and older horse in Europe by a commanding and authoritative two lengths being eased down.
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 retired with an impressive record of 9-8-0-0 with career earnings of $6,808,542.
As expected, SEA THE STARS took all the available major awards across Europe at years end including Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse of the Year at the Cartier Racing Awards, Champion Three-Year-Old and Horse of the Year at the Racehorse Owners Association Awards and Horse of the Year at the Irish Horse Racing Awards.
With nothing left to prove, his retirement was announced on October 13, 2009, by trainer John Oxx and on October 27, 2009, it was announced that SEA THE STARS would stand at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland. The 2008 Prix De l'Arc de Triomphe winner ZARKAVA was among the first mares booked to him.
See extended full coverage of SEA THE STARS’ six consecutive unforgettable Group 1 races in their ENTIRE TELEVISED BROADCASTS; complete with all pre and post-race interviews of his human connections and all the festivities, trophy presentations and celebration after the races. Re-live the magic of a truly remarkable six-month racing stretch when SEA THE STARS took flight in the following races:
2000 Guineas (Newmarket) – May 2, 2009
Investec Derby (Epsom) – June 6, 2009
Coral Eclipse (Sandown) – July 4, 2009
Juddmonte International Stakes (York) – August 18, 2009
Irish Champion Stakes (Leopardstown) – September 5, 2009
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Longchamp) – October 4, 2009
SEA THE STARS, who captured the hearts of fans all over the world, whose performances sparked comparisons to the leading European greats have some asserting that he is the greatest of all time. His thrilling acceleration, his effortless abilities to find another gear when the chips were down and to triumph over distances ranging from a mile to 12 furlongs, his unflappable temperament, his will to win and his excellent breeding all helped make SEA THE STARS the complete package. His unruffled demeanor after each race made him the most popular racehorse since the days of DESERT ORCHID.
SEA THE STARS, the horse that dazzled the racing world in 2009 who went undefeated in a tour-de-force of six Group 1 races in a six month span in his sophomore season - a record that is sure to stand for years and years to come. Re-live all the thrills and jubilation of one unforgettable racing season with one unforgettable horse - SEA THE STARS!
FOR A CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE 6 RACES FEATURED IN THIS TIME CAPSULE, JUST REQUEST A COPY AND A COMPILATION SHEET ALONG WITH THE 1,2,3 FINISHERS WILL BE E-MAILED TO YOU.
4 Hours and 15 Minutes.
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