Sea the Stars retired

Sea the Stars drew clear to a rousing two-length score in his career finale at Longchamp (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) SEA THE STARS (Cape Cross [Ire]), whose epic six-win campaign this season led many to compare him to other modern European greats of the turf such as *Sea-Bird, Nijinsky II, Mill Reef and Dancing Brave, was retired on Tuesday. Trainer John Oxx made the announcement in a statement. "It has been decided after discussions with (owner) Mr. Christopher Tsui that Sea the Stars will not take part in the Breeders' Cup (Classic [G1]) at Santa Anita on November 7," Oxx said. "He's had a long season and has been in regular fast work from March 3, with his final workout on October 2," Oxx added. "He's been in intensive training for seven months with only a three-week break after the Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) 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 (Fr-G1) 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 finalized."

Bred by Tsui in Ireland, Sea the Stars' lone career defeat came in his debut

as a juvenile, when he experienced traffic trouble en route to a fourth-place

finish at the Curragh. He duly broke his maiden next time out at Leopardstown

and concluded his two-year-old season with a score in the Beresford S. (Ire-G2)

back at the Curragh.

Sea the Stars conquered all who came before him in six starts this season. He

kicked off his historic campaign with a decisive 1 1/2-length score in the Two

Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) at Newmarket, then answered all questions about his

stamina with 1 3/4-length triumph in the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) over 1 1/2 miles,

thus becoming the first colt since Nashwan (1989) to win the first two legs of

the English Triple Crown. But like his predecessor, Sea the Stars was never

seriously considered for the St Leger S. (Eng-G1) and Nijinksy II (1970) remains

the last three-year-old to sweep the series.

Sea the Stars would go on to make history in other ways. Though technically

running in races open to older horses, Sea the Stars found his sternest

competition to be from his fellow three-year-olds in his next several starts. He

turned back a strong challenge from eventual Sussex S. (Eng-G1) and Queen

Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) Rip Van Winkle (Galileo [Ire]) to land the 10-furlong

Eclipse at Sandown in a course record 2:03 2/5, then reeled in last year's Irish

champion juvenile and classic winner Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) in the

10-furlong Juddmonte International (Eng-G1) at York by a length in another

course record time of 2:05 1/5.

Sea the Stars next renewed rivalry with Fame and Glory (Montjeu [Ire]) in the

Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) at Leopardstown over 1 1/4 miles. Fame and Glory had

run second to Sea the Stars in the Epsom Derby and followed up with a

five-length romp in the Irish Derby (Ire-G1), a race Sea the Stars was withdrawn

from due to soft ground. The Irish Champion turned out to be even more decisive

than the Derby, with Sea the Stars looking every bit the winner in the last

quarter-mile. The margin was a season-high 2 1/2 lengths, an impressive

performance given the champion's tendency to win eased up.

Getting his preferred good-to-firm ground in the October 4 Prix de l'Arc de

Triomphe at Longchamp over 1 1/2 miles, Sea the Stars easily bested virtually

every top filly and older horse in Europe with a devastating turn of foot in the

three-furlong stretch. Very rank in the early stages, Sea the Stars finally

settled far off the early pacesetters along the rail, extricated himself from

trouble at the top of the straight, and split rivals with ease in a display of

speed none of his 19 rivals could match.

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

retires with a mark of 9-8-0-0, $6,808,542.

Sea the Stars' dam, French highweight Urban Sea, captured such notable events

as the Prix d'Harcourt (Fr-G2), Prix Gontaut Biron (Fr-G3) and Prix Exbury

(Fr-G3) in addition to the Arc. She has been even more outstanding as a

broodmare, with all eight of her runners earning black type. Her first foal,

Urban Ocean (Bering [GB]), was an Irish highweight and Group 3 winner. Next came

English stakes queen Melikah (Ire) (Lammtarra), runner-up in the Irish Oaks

(Ire-G1) and third in the Oaks (Eng-G1) at Epsom. Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells)

reigned as Europe's champion three-year-old of 2001 after garnering the Derby,

Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1).

Galileo's younger brother, Black Sam Bellamy (Sadler's Wells), earned Italian

highweight status by virtue of his score in the 2002 Gran Premio del Jockey Club

(Ity-G1), and in 2003 he added the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1) to his resume.

Galileo and Black Sam Bellamy's full sister, All Too Beautiful (Ire) (Sadler's

Wells), was an English Group 3 heroine and runner-up in the 2004 Oaks at Epsom.

Urban Sea's next foal, eight-time stakes victress My Typhoon (Ire) (Giant's

Causeway), raced exclusively in the United States, with her signature victory

coming in the 2007 Diana S. (G1) at Saratoga. That same season, her maiden

half-sister Cherry Hinton (Green Desert) placed in an Irish Group 3 affair.

Urban Sea died in early March from complications after foaling an Invincible

Spirit colt.

Urban Sea is herself a half-sister to King's Best (Kingmambo), hero of the

Two Thousand Guineas in 2000, as well as French Group 3 queen Allez Les Trois (Riverman),

the dam of Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) (Fr-G1) winner Anabaa Blue (Anabaa).

This is also the family of Tamayuz (Nayef), who won last year's Prix Jacques le

Marois (Fr-G1) and Prix Jean Prat (Fr-G1).