Sea The Stars - King of Middle Distance Horses
Sea the Stars: The legendary middle-distance racing horse with a stellar family history
Name: Sea The Stars Sire: Cape Cross
Record: 8-0-0 Dam: Urban Sea
Earnings: £4,417,163 Dam’s sire: Miswaki
Trainer: Jo Breeder: Sunderland Holdings
Owner: Christopher Tsui
Sea the Stars - An Introduction
Trained by John Oxx and owned by Christopher Tsui, Sea The Stars was an exceptional middle-distance horse, winning over a variety of distances from 7f up to 1m 4f.
A 6-time Group 1 winner at 3, Sea The Stars was one of the most successful and highest-rated middle-distance flat horses of all time, ranking as the 13th best flat horse ever on Timeform’s ratings.
Foaled in April 2006, Sea The Stars kicked off his career by finishing 4th in a Curragh maiden, before winning a similar maiden event at Leopardstown a month later.
It was as a 3-year-old that he excelled though, beating many top-class horses in various Group 1 races. Piloted by Mick Kinane on all occasions, he amassed a whopping £4,417,163 in prize money and was awarded an RPR of 138 upon winning the Irish Champion Stakes.
He has become something of an exceptional sire too, retiring at the end of the 2009 season, after winning the Arc.
Sea the Stars Pedigree
Sea The Stars is out of another smart sire in Cape Cross. A top-class miler for Godolphin and Saeed bin Suroor, he won various Group 1 and 2 races in the late 90s. Something of a late bloomer, he won the Queen Anne Stakes, Celebration Mile, Lockinge, and placed in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard-Jacques le Marois (Group 1) as a 4/5-year-old.
Now though, he’s sired several top performers such as Ouija Board (£3,510,682 in earnings with an OR of 121) and Golden Horn (Champion 3-year-old and winner of the Derby, Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes, and Prix De l’Arc de Triomphe) amongst others.
As of 2016, Cape Cross had a stud fee of around £20,000, which was a steal considering the number of group winners and high-earning horses he produced (39 over £200,000 in earnings).
Sea The Stars’ dam wasn’t too bad herself! A group 1 winner over in France for her trainer Jean Lesbordes, Urban Sea accumulated over £1 million in earnings (Prix De l’Arc de Triomphe). Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Urban Sea was the dam of the great Galileo too- I guess it runs in the family!
Dam to a small number of offspring, but with some impressive stats, she was also the dam of Group 1 winners Black Sam Bellamy trained by Aiden O’Brien in Ireland and My Typhoon, trained by William Mott over in America. An impressive return from such few offspring, it all set up nicely for a top-class middle-distance horse, and that horse was Sea The Stars.
Sea the Stars in the 2009 Two Thousand Guineas
Going further back on Cape Cross’ side, you find the sire Green Desert. Best known as a top-class sprinter/miler, he also sired several impressive Group 1 winning horses in the late 90s/early 00s such as Oriental Express (£1,417,168 in earnings), Heat Haze (£743,102), Sheikh Albadou (£661,983), and White Heart (£592,458). On Urban Sea’s side, you find Miswaki, another sprinter who was a high-class 2-year-old.
He sired some impressive middle-distance horses, including Urban Sea, Marvelous Crown (£1,023,498), Black Tie Affair (£963,730), and Misil (£744,236).
A very impressive family tree. Having top-class parents and being a half-brother to Galileo, it was almost as if he was destined for greatness. The stats don’t lie; Sea The Stars was a machine!
Sea the Stars Record
Sea The Stars’ record is phenomenal. A consistent 2-year-old who finished the season winning a Group 2 at the Curragh, he really kicked on the following year.
An unbeaten season as a 3-year-old, Sea The Stars won everything they aimed him at, including some of the biggest races in the UK/Europe.
He won by a cumulative distance of 9.75 lengths over the 6 Group 1 races he contested in 2009, including beating the likes of the talented Rip Van Winkle, Fame And Glory, and Mastercraftsman.
The ground wasn’t an issue either, winning on anything from Soft/Heavy, to Good, to Yielding. His wins over 1m in the Beresford Stakes and 2000 Guineas showcased the speed he possessed, whilst effortlessly transitioning to win over 1m4f in the Derby, showing his true staying power.
Other wins include the Guineas, Coral-Eclipse, and Prix De l’Arc de Triomphe. Most trainers could only dream of winning one of these races, but he won them all. He was also the first to win the treble (Guineas, Derby, and Arc) since Nashwan back in 1989.
Often undervalued as a racehorse, we didn’t know what we had until he had gone, one whose reputation has taken time to mature.
| Date | Race | Position | Race Distance | Winning Distance | Beaten Distance | Going | OR / RPR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-Jul-08 | Jebel Ali Stables & Racecourse European Breeders Fund Maiden (Curragh) | 4th | 7f | 1L | Good | / 88 | |
| 17-Aug-08 | Korean Racing Authority European Breeders' Fund Maiden (Leopardstown) | 1st | 7f | 2.5L | Soft/Heavy | / 94 | |
| 28-Sep-08 | Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (Group 2) (Curragh) | 1st | 1m | 0.5L | Yielding | / 112 | |
| 02-May-09 | stanjames.com 2000 Guineas Stakes (Group 1) (Newmarket) | 1st | 1m | 1.5L | Good to Firm | 112 / 124 | |
| 06-Jun-09 | Investec Derby (Group 1) (Epsom) | 1st | 1m4f | 1.75L | Good | 121 / 124 | |
| 04-Jul-09 | Coral-Eclipse (Group 1) (Sandown) | 1st | 1m 2f | 1L | Good | 124 / 135 | |
| 18-Aug-09 | Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1) (York) | 1st | 1m 2.5L | 1L | Good to Firm | 133 / 129 | |
| 05-Sep-09 | Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes (Group 1) (Leopardstown) | 1st | 1m2f | 2.5L | Good to Yielding | 133 / 138 | |
| 04-Oct-09 | Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Group 1) (Longchamp) | 1st | 1m4f | 2L | Good | / 132 |
Seas The Stars - Most Impressive Wins
A reason many overlook Sea The Stars is that he didn’t win any of his races by a large distance, nor did he toy with his opponents like Frankel, but he was still mightily impressive in his own right- often coming from the rear.
The 2009 2000 Guineas
The first race in question was his win in the 2009 2000 Guineas. Settled in mid-division, he enjoyed a fairly steadily run race behind pacemaker Ocean’s Minstrel and the prominent Evasive.
Approaching 2f out and still travelling well, Mick Kinane asked for more from his mount when moved to the outside, and he duly delivered. Eating up the ground and ranging upsides approaching the final furlong, he gradually eased away from his rivals, eventually winning the race by some 1.5L.
This might sound like a pretty average victory, but considering the strength of the field, which included the likes of Delegator, Rip Van Winkle, and Mastercraftsman, he made it look pretty routine. Nothing flashy from Sea The Stars here, just pure class!
The 2009 Prix De L’Arc du Triomphe
The next race, which funnily enough followed a similar pattern, was his win in the 2009 Arc, which would be his last visit to a racetrack. Restrained towards the rear early, jockey Mick Kinane was looking to keep him in check for the first mile of the race, before unleashing him past tiring horses towards the end.
Again, with 2f to go, Sea The Stars made eye-catching progress on the inner as the early pace-setters came back to the field. Still with 6-7 lengths to make up approaching the final furlong, it looked like an impossible task, but with an impressive turn of foot, he raced to the lead and quickened clear, leaving the others toiling in his wake.
To the roar of the crowd, he won going away, winning one of the most prestigious flat races in the world in emphatic fashion.
The likes of Youmzain, Cavalryman, and Conduit had no answer. Described simply as perfection in equine form, Sea The Stars was one of the best.
To win such races- and make it look so effortless at the end is a testament to his pedigree and the brilliant training at home by John Oxx. Let’s just say he didn’t like to embarrass his opposition, he was the consummate gentleman and he definitely won politely!
Comments from Notable People on Sea the Stars
Ian Balding, trainer of Mill Reef (2009)- “He’s right up there with Sea-Bird, Ribot and Mill Reef. He’s a fabulous, fabulous racehorse in every way. I think Sea The Stars is the best of all.”
John Oxx during the 2009 season- “If you resurrected all the great horses from the past and put them standing up there in front of you, and walked them up and down and looked at them, and at their pedigrees, their performance, their race record, their temperament, their conformation and everything, you’d pick some holes in every horse. But you’d have difficulty picking a hole with this fellow. He’s got the pedigree, the looks, that tremendous athletic frame, the temperament, and then the record. When you put it all together, no breeder could hope to breed a better horse 300 years down the line from the development of the thoroughbred. That’s what he represents to me.”
Mick Kinane reflecting on the Arc win in 2009 - “I remember when the gap appeared- that was the first time he really needed an exceptional turn of foot. But he made up the seven lengths in no time and that just goes to show how good he was. It was an extraordinary day, and he had so much more energy left. He did everything so easily in his work and never disappointed us- he was better at home than he was on the racecourse too!.”
John McCririck following his retirement in 2009- “If he had stayed in training there could have been world tours. Horse Racing would have had its very own Usain Bolt.”
Christopher Tsui following his retirement in 2009-
“Each race has brought me joy and excitement beyond anything I could ever dream of. I am undoubtedly his biggest fan. He has proven himself to be a great champion.”
Willie Carson following his win in the Arc (2009)- “He’s got so much ability. We’ve seen one of the best horses ever!”
Current Breeding Info/Record
A champion on the track, and now a champion off it, Sea The Stars has some very impressive stats when it comes to his progeny. His current stud fee stands at around £140,000 and he is currently 5th on the list of leading sires in GB/IRE based on prize money for 2021.
Consider the entirety of Europe, and you’ll find him 3rd on the list, behind only Galileo and Frankel, with £5,221,443 in prize money!
Looking through his progeny, it is clear to see why he is so high on the list. Sire to incredible Group-1 winning horses such as Stradivarius, Crystal Ocean, and Cloth of Stars, he has also sired a total of 7 different horses that have accumulated over £1 million in earnings.
Sea the Stars Top Progeny
Stradivarius (Group 1: Sagaro Stakes + Lonsdale Cup + Doncaster Cup)
Baaeed (Listed + Group 3 + Group 1: Sir Henry Cecil Stakes + Bonham’s Thoroughbred Stakes + Prix du Moulin de Longchamp)
Al Aasy (Group 3: Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes + Al Rayyan Stakes + creditable 2 nd ’s in the Princess of Wales’s Tattersalls Stakes and Coronation Cup)
Hukum (Listed + Group 3: Tapster Stakes + John Smith’s Silver Cup + BetVictor Geoffrey Freer Stakes + Cumberland Lodge Stakes)
Honourable mentions go to the ever-consistent Mojo Star and Group 2 winner Lavender’s Blue. In 2021, Sea The Stars offspring have accumulated 799 total starts (correct at the time of writing) which have yielded 153 wins and 220 places, combining for £4,402,304 in earnings. That’s a total of 100 winners from 192 different runners in 2021 alone (52%). There have been 19 different stakes winners amongst those, combining to win 30 stakes races and placed 29 times.
The offspring of Sea The Stars mostly excel from 3-years-old onwards, but he has still produced 21 2-year-old runners this year, 9 of which were winners (43%). Put all of this information together and you will find that there have been a total of 373 wins, with 799 total starts in 2021, surpassing his earnings from last year by more than £1.7 million.
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Sea the Stars - A Summary
Not the flashiest horse you will ever see, but bursting with class both on and off the track, Sea The Stars is up there with some of the all-time greats.
An almost perfect record (which he is 8-8 ignoring his debut run) despite running in some of the most prestigious flat races in the world, his raw ability to get his head in front in a gentlemanly manner will never be forgotten. No matter the size of the task at hand, the conditions underfoot, or the country he was running in, he excelled between 1m and 1m4f.
His legacy is still becoming more and more widely appreciated to this day, and despite not necessarily having the world-beating performances of the likes of Frankel, he went about his business with understated elegance.
Already up there as one of the best flat horses/stallions, I’m sure it won’t be long until we see him sire another top-class middle-distance horse!
