Subject: A star is gone as Sea The Stars calls it a day Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:27 am
The best horse ive ever seen retires, The horse had everything, my fav moment was in the eclipse stakes it sort of reminded me of usain bolt, the way when rip van winkle challenged and sea the stars just accelerated away... AMAZING! Goodbye STS Thanks for the memories
Quote :
Irish colt Sea The Stars, the winner of a unique treble in landing the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe, has been retired.
The three-year-old's trainer John Oxx said a decision had been made not to enter the horse in the Breeders' Cup meeting in the United States.
Sea The Stars is likely to stand at stud, though Oxx gave no exact details.
"I have no information on stud career details and an announcement will be made at a much later date," he said.
Some estimates have put his stud value at a possible £100m.
The champion racehorse, sired by Cape Cross and owned by Hong Kong nightclub owner Christopher Tsui, had built up a devoted following after winning six Group One races every month from May until October under expert jockey Mick Kinane.
Many racing fans, particularly those outside Europe, were keen to see him take on America's finest flat horses in the Breeders' Cup Classic, on the dirt track at Santa Anita, California, on 7 November.
But Oxx said that, following discussions with Tsui, that would no longer be on the agenda.
The trainer went on: "He's had a long season and has been in regular fast work from 3 March, with his final workout on 2 October.
"He's been in intensive training for seven months with only a three-week break after the Eclipse Stakes at the beginning of July.
"We feel it is unfair to keep him going any further given his unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months.
"He's come out of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in his usual good form. He is fit and healthy and has been cantering since the race but is now retiring from racing."
Sea The Stars had lost just one of his nine races during his two years on the track - in which he amassed nearly £4.5million in prize money - and that was his racecourse debut at the Curragh where he finished a close-up fourth.
He then won his maiden on unfavourably soft ground before landing the Grade Two Beresford Stakes, hinting at what was to come this year.
Sent off at 8-1 for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, he beat hot favourite Delegator by a length and a half and became the first horse since Nashwan 20 years ago to follow up in the Derby, where he beat Fame And Glory by a length and three-quarters.
The Coral-Eclipse was next at Sandown where he beat subsequent Sussex Stakes and QEII winner Rip Van Winkle.
The procession continued. At York in the Juddmonte International, he made it four Group Ones in a row and he followed up in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, again handing a beating to the Aidan O'Brien-trained Fame And Glory.
But his crowning glory came at Longchamp when he landed Europe's premier middle-distance race, the Arc.
For much of the race he gave Kinane plenty of headaches as took a pull on the reins and settled into his rhythm late only to find himself boxed in on the rail.
But he overcame all those problems to carve a path through a high-class field, and was eased down as he passed the winning line.
His performance sparked comparisons with legendary performers Dancing Brave, Mill Reef and Sea Bird.
Racing pundit John McCririck commented: "It's very sad for several reasons and first of all for Christopher Tsui, who will never, ever again have a horse like this.
"Whatever enjoyment he gets and whatever other horses he breeds, there will never be another Sea The Stars.
"Obviously commercially this is the right decision as he could only harm his reputation, either by defeat or the possibility of injury.
"Your head says yes, he definitely should be retired, but my goodness if he had stayed in training there could have been world tours. Horse racing would have had its very own Usain Bolt."
And he speculated that Kinane, 50, might also retire.
Meanwhile rival jockey Kieren Fallon, second to Sea The Stars aboard Youmzain in the Arc, said: "I would have loved to have seen him race in America and they were dying to see him over there too.
"Santa Anita, for me, is the best place in the world for racing, they are so professional and the track is in magnificent shape."
Record 9: 8-0-0 Earnings £4,416,708 Major wins Beresford Stakes (2008) Eclipse Stakes (2009) International Stakes (2009) Irish Champion Stakes (2009)
British Classic Race wins: 2,000 Guineas (2009) Epsom Derby (2009)
French Classic Race wins: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2009
And he joins these seven legends..
DANCING BRAVE: The Guy Harwood-trained colt won one of the best ever renewals of the Arc in 1986 when producing a devastating turn of foot in the final furlong, adding to his victories in the 2000 Guineas, Eclipse and King George.
SEA-BIRD: Widely regarded as the greatest of them all. And it is easy to understand why for those who witnessed his complete annihilation of class opposition in the 1965 Arc. The French-trained Derby winner slammed Reliance II by six lengths.
MILL REEF: Ian Balding's bonny little colt was a true middle-distance champion in 1971, winning the Derby, Eclipse and King George before taking the Arc by three lengths. He was saved for stud duties after breaking his leg.
BRIGADIER GERARD: Winner of 17 of his 18 starts in the early 1970s, the Brigadier was dominant at a mile and won top races up to a mile and a half. His victories included the 2000 Guineas, Eclipse, King George and the Champion Stakes twice.
RIBOT: Ribot was undoubtedly the best horse to come out of Italy and dominated the 1955 and 1956 seasons, when he became one of only six horses to win the Arc twice, as well as taking the King George and the Gran Premio di Milano.
NIJINSKY: Great horses can be beaten in the Arc, as so agonisingly demonstrated by Nijinsky in 1970. But Vincent O'Brien's colt had already won the Triple Crown and the King George and was assured of his place in the pantheon.
SHERGAR: In two short months in the summer of 1981, Shergar showed he was one of the all-time greats. His victory in the Derby had to be seen to be believed as he swept home by a record 10 lengths. He was kidnapped in 1983 and was never seen again.
Sat Oct 31, 2009 2:46 pm by 
