Breaking News! Sea the Stars Retires to Gilltown!

This week, the Daily Racing Form announced that Sea the Stars would retire to the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland. Again, I am just posting the news report itself directly, as it tickled me a great deal. The Tsui family and His Highness speak so highly of each other and their horses. And His Highness wants his 7 wins in 7 starts filly, Zarkava, to have a breeding with Sea the Stars. They will produce an amazing foal! Let's hope that Success breeds Success! Namaste. In the photos, you see Sea the Stars and his royal intended.

The Tsui family announced Tuesday morning that Sea the Stars (Ire) (c, 3, Cape Cross {Ire}--Urban Sea, by Miswaki) will enter stud in 2010 at His Highness the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Co. Kildare, Ireland. The bay colt was retired following his win in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Oct. 4; it was his sixth straight Group 1 win of 2009. Racing Post reports that his stud fee will be €85,000. "After considering options we have decided to stand Sea the Stars in Ireland at Gilltown Stud, with His Highness the Aga Khan," said Ling Tsui, whose son Christopher raced the bay colt. "Gilltown is an ideal stud for Sea The Stars to thrive and develop as a stallion, and there is no more appropriate place for him to stand than in his homeland and close to Currabeg where he was trained by John Oxx. His Highness was kind enough to let us stand Sea The Stars at Gilltown while keeping ownership of him and we are most grateful. The staff and facilities at Gilltown are top class and Sea The Stars will enjoy his stay there." His Highness the Aga Khan added, "Mrs. Tsui and Christopher's decision to entrust the future career at stud of Sea the Stars to Gilltown Stud farm brings to everyone at the Aga Khan Studs, as well as to me personally, the greatest happiness. We are all proud to have such a remarkable athlete join the Aga Khan stallions at stud, and we are convinced that the Aga Khan mares, who have produced outstanding racehorses during the last 50 years, will breed very well indeed to Sea the Stars. Mrs Tsui and Christopher's decision is certainly one of the most important developments for my operation since I inherited it in 1960. I am also most pleased that Mrs Tsui and Christopher will be developing their own breeding operation with the help of their magnificent horse, Sea the Stars. This horse could also help develop relations to bring Chinese investment into the European bloodstock market." He continued, "In keeping with the motto of the Aga Khan Studs "success breeds success" I look forward to the earliest opportunity to send my unbeaten champion Zarkava (Ire) to Sea the Stars. I believe the last two Arc winners were made for each other both in terms of ability, temperament and conformation. The best needs to be bred to the best."

Breaking News! Sea the Stars Retires!

The following photograph was take from the Telegraph and the story is from today's Thoroughbred Daily News. I am including the story in its entirety because I really like how his trainer talks about him. His trainer is eloquent, reasoned and clearly passionate about his young talented colt -- and really there was no need to be so eloquent and fantasticaly well-spoken. After all, his horse won 6 G1 races this year, including the Epsom Derby, 2,000 Guineas and Arc de le Triomphe. I mean really, the accomplishments would leave anyone speechless! Happy baby-making SS!

Thoroughbred Daily News internet news item:

"Christopher Tsui's Sea the Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}--Urban Sea, by Miswaki) will not race again. The bay colt recorded six straight Group 1 wins during his 2009 campaign, topped by victory in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last Sunday at Longchamp. "It has been decided after discussions with Mr Christopher Tsui (owner) that Sea The Stars will not take part in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Nov. 7," trainer John Oxx said in a statement early today. "He's had a long season and has been in regular fast work from March 3, with his final workout on October 2. 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. 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 finalised." Oxx later paid further tribute when adding, "It is hard to say there was any highlight with a horse like that, as they were all major races in their own right. When you win a Guineas and a Derby, it became even more important for him to win and as the anxiety builds up as the year went on, every race brought tremendous relief when it was over. I suppose winning the Derby was marvelous--the way he ran his race there was a joy to watch, with how he handled the track and coasted down the hill before sauntering up the straight waiting to go and win. That was a great sight and it must be unusual for a trainer to watch his horse in the Derby and feel so comfortable with the way he is going right through the race. After that, he developed a great public following and everybody quickly realised they were watching something special. There has ben great excitement every time from Sandown onwards and he had a tremendous response from the racing public and also the wider public towards the end as they realised that there was something special happening. In the Arc, I wasn't as anxious as everyone else was, as although he ran along more strongly in the bridle than most people would like, he could do that and get away with it. I knew he had such a great turn of foot and he could get out of trouble. His success was down to a combination of everything, but mainly to his tremendous cruising speed. Ballydoyle tried their best to put in pacemakers and make it tough for him, but they could never get him off the bridle. He could just travel up behind any pace totally at ease--that's his big thing--and then quicken up off it. He could do that because he has great heart and lungs, but he's got this beautiful balance, lovely stride and a great length to him as a big strong horse. He's a close-coupled horse in one way, but very long in another and he has this tremendous athletic stride. He also has a great temperament and never worries about anything, was always the calmest horse at the races and it is courage and temperament at the end of the day that bring the best horses to a different level." The half-brother to leading sire Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) compiled a record of 9-8-0-0 while earning £4,417,163. His other trophies include the G1 Epsom Derby, G1 2000 Guineas, G1 Coral-Eclipse S., G1 Irish Champion S. and G1 Juddmonte International S."

Breaking News! Sea the Stars Makes History!

This past weekend, a 3 year-old colt, Sea the Stars, with Mick Kinane on board, won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, after winning the 2,000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. Those string of wins this year made history -- no other horse has won those three stellar races in a single year. His Irish daddy, Cape Cross, and American mom, Urban Sea, must be so proud!