SEA THE STARS DOMINATES GOFFS NOVEMBER FOAL SALE

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GOFFS NOVEMBER FOAL SALE
15 - 17 November 2011

The progeny of Sea the Stars (Ire) got the first-crop sire off to the dream start widely expected yesterday as the concluding session of the Goffs November Foal Sale saw his five foals to be offered sell for a total of €2.86million for an average of €572,000.

Topping the quintet was hip 734, the impeccably bred colt out of Jim Bolger’s accomplished broodmare Affianced (Ire) (Erins Isle). She is already responsible for Ballydoyle’s high-class middle-distance performer Soldier of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo), who captured the 2007 G1 Irish Derby and the following year’s G1 Coronation Cup and now stands at Haras du Logis Saint Germain; and Group 3 winner Heliostatic (Ire) (Galileo), who has sired a group winner of his own from his first crop in Crius (Ire).

Bolger’s Redmondstown Stud sold three of the top four by the sensational Christopher Tsui homebred, and this particular blueblood will race in the yellow and blue silks made famous by his sire after John Clarke prevailed with a record-setting bid of €850,000.

First into the fray for the Sea the Stars brigade was his eagerly awaited first offering out of the MG1SW Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley). Consigned by Michael Ryan’s Al-Eile Stud as hip 581, the chestnut filly is the second foal out of Europe’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2006 who also registered a Classic double in the following year’s G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas and split those efforts with a narrow miss in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Auctioneer Henry Beeby asked for an opening bid of €500,000 before the action began at €100,000. However, the volleys lasted less than five minutes, and it was bloodstock agent John McCormack - acting on behalf of an undisclosed client - who outlasted Clarke to prevail. “She’s a filly with absolutely superb lineage and as a physical specimen she matched that,” said McCormack. “You’d have to think that she will have every chance. She’s a lovely, good-walking filly by a great horse and don’t forget that the dam very nearly won the English, Irish and French 1000 Guineas in the space of three weeks.”

The second of the Sea the Stars to sell for €800,000 was Redmondstown Stud’s hip 685, a bay daughter of Scribonia (Ire) (Danehill), who was secured by Mertoun Paddocks. A half-sister to a pair of daughters of Galileo who have placed in the 1000 Guineas in Cuis Ghaire (Ire) and Gile Na Greine (Ire), she also has the classy Indian Ridge (Ire) distaffers Luminata (Ire) and Aretha (Ire) close up. Mertoun’s Rob Spears did the bidding on behalf of Ibrahim Araci, owner of the Classic-placed Native Khan (Fr) (Azamour). “She’s a foundation mare,” Speers offered. “She’s a fantastic filly from an excellent family, and over the last 12 months the good fillies and mares at the breeding stock sales have been coming in at a premium price range. €800,000 is a lot of money, but we believe that she represents a sound investment.”

Moments later, the Redmondstown’s hip 687 continued the irresistible momentum for the stallion when selling to Julie Wood for €300,000. Out of a winning full sister to Teofilo (Ire) - who was also prominent on Thursday’s results sheet - the purchase of the March foal was the end part of the masterplan. “We’ve been waiting a while for this day,” Wood explained. “This filly, like the other ones today, came from good, well-connected families, and it was quite special when these foals were coming into the ring, as you could feel the atmosphere around the ring. I bought an Exceed and Excel colt for €90,000 here Wednesday, and I do tend to buy a few foals every year. In fact, half of the 2-year-olds I had this year were bought as foals.”

Earlier, the lowest-priced of the Sea the Stars quintet became the first colt at the sale to break through the six-figure barrier. Hip 601, a March-foaled bay from Bill Dwan’s Castlebridge Consignment, is out of 2003 Listed Blue Wind Stakes victress Humilis (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) from the family of Balanchine and was hammered down to Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown for €110,000.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

SEA THE STARS : THE END OF A BRILLIANT CAREER

Sea The Stars
(Photo : John Gichigi/Getty)

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RETIREMENT OF SEA THE STARS

Christopher Tsui’s Sea the Stars will not race again after trainer John Oxx made the widely expected announcement.

Yesterday’s announcement brings to an end a run which may never be equaled, as Sea the Stars not only became the first in history to record the 2000 Guineas-Derby-Arc treble - Nijinsky narrowly failed at the final hurdle in 1970 - but also took in the three major 10 - furlong, all-aged contests of the summer in the Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes.

John Oxx was left to reflect on a remarkable season later in the afternoon, and found it difficult to single out one of the six achievements as a personal favorite.

“It is hard to say there was any highlight with a horse like that, as they were all major races in their own right,” Oxx added. “When you win a Guineas and a Derby, it becomes even more important for him to win, and as the anxiety builds up as the year goes on, every race brings tremendous relief when it is 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.

Oxx continued, “There has been great excitement every time from Sandown onwards, and he had a tremendous response from the crowds, 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. He’s a big, strong horse – close-coupled 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.”

On top of his unparalleled achievements at three, Sea the Stars also held a commendable record as a juvenile.

While he suffered a sole defeat on his debut when an eye-catching fourth at The Curragh last July, he was off the mark at Leopardstown the following month before registering his first black-type win in The Curragh’s G2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes in September.

In total, the half-brother to leading sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) boasts a record of 9-8-0-0 while earning £

Stud arrangements have yet to be set, but there have been suggestions that the Tsuis are keen to stand him at the Irish National Stud. That County Kildare-based operation was the scene of his birth April 6, 2006, and currently houses Urban Sea’s final foal by Invincible Spirit. John Clarke, who is the chief executive of the Irish National Stud, also acts as racing manager to Ling Tsui and her son Christopher.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News