Sea The Stars.

Top 100 rated.

Horse Born Rating
Sea Bird 1962 145
Brigadier Gerard 1968 144
Tudor Minstrel 1944 144
Abernant 1946 142
Ribot 1952 142
Windy City 1949 142
Mill Reef 1968 141
Dancing Brave 1983 140
Dubai Millennium 1996 140
Sea The Stars 2006 140
Shergar 1978 140
Vaguely Noble 1965 140
Generous 1988 139
Pappa Fourway 1952 139
Peintre Celebre 1994 139
Reference Point 1984 139
Alleged 1974 138
Alycidon 1945 138
Celtic Swing 1992 138
Cigar 1990 138
Daylami 1994 138
Exbury 1959 138
Nijinsky 1967 138
Star of India 1953 138
Tulloch 1954 138
Easy Goer 1986 137
Sunday Silence 1986 137
Apalachee 1971 137
Dayjur 1987 137
Ghostzapper 2000 137
Grundy 1972 137
Kingston Town 1976 137
Mark of Esteem 1993 137
Molvedo 1958 137
Montjeu 1996 137
Moorestyle 1977 137
Never Say Die 1951 137
Pinza 1950 137
Princely Gift 1951 137
Ragusa 1960 137
Rheingold 1969 137
Reliance 1962 137
Right Boy 1954 137
Troy 1976 137
Zilzal 1986 137
Alcide 1955 136
Allez France 1970 136
Ballymoss 1954 136
Bering 1983 136
Black Tarquin 1945 136
Bustino 1971 136
Crepello 1954 136
El Condor Pasa 1995 136
El Gran Senor 1981 136
Floribunda 1958 136
Gentlemen 1992 136
Habibti 1980 136
Hafiz 1952 136
Hawk Wing 1999 136
Helissio 1993 136
Herbager 1956 136
My Babu 1945 136
Manikato 1975 136
Northjet 1977 136
Old Vic 1986 136
Relko 1960 136
Slip Anchor 1982 136
Suave Dancer 1988 136
Sakhee 1997 136
Tantieme 1947 136
Texana 1955 136
Thatch 1970 136
Warning 1985 136
All Along 1979 135
Arazi 1989 135
Arbar 1944 135
Arctic Prince 1948 135
Chanteur 1942 135
Charlottesville 1957 135
Coronation 1946 135
Dahlia 1970 135
Intikhab 1994 135
Known Fact 1977 135
Kris 1976 135
La Tendresse 1959 135
Le Moss 1975 135
Match II 1958 135
Nashwan 1986 135
Never So Bold 1980 135
Pebbles 1981 135
Petingo 1965 135
Petoski 1982 135
Right Royal 1958 135
Royal Anthem 1995 135
Sagace 1980 135
Sassafras 1967 135
Shadeed 1982 135
Shahrastani 1983 135
Shareef Dancer 1980 135
Sicambre 1948 135
Sir Ivor 1965 135
Souverain 1943 135
St Jovite 1989 135
Supreme Court 1948 135
Teenoso 1980 135
Tenerani 1944 135
The Bug 1943 135
The Minstrel 1974 135
Trempolino 1984 135
Youth 1973 135
 
Whether others had the opportunity in their day is neither here nor there, this horse is in the here and now and has proven himself an exceptional example of the breed above the greats of the past. They had an easier time of it not travelling that far and stretching their campaigns over a couple of seasons, he does not have that luxury.

Yes modern travel allows more but also modern racing and the modern TB leaves him even more of a mountain to climb.

He is remarkable in that for one he has spanned the distances when in the modern TB there are specialists in that the shorter distances, this was not so in the days of the triple crown winners and the Brigadier. The likes of Rock of Gibraltar were exceptional but STS is above that as he has done his winning in a shorter period and over a whole range of distances in which those he has beaten are specialists. He has the speed to win mile races and the stamina to step up to a mile and a half.

He has spanned the generations beating all the older horses Europe could throw at him, the 6 horses behind him today were all group 1 winners !!!!

He has shown a superb temperament, sadly lacking in the likes of Nijinsky, probably what lost him his Arc, and let’s not forget that Nijinsky was a mediocre animal in his 4th year!

He is sound after a gruelling campaign, in a day when some are campaigned sparingly he has not flinched, he has proved his soundness and conformation at the highest level, much as those TB’s that founded the breed in their 4 mile match heats. According to his trainer who has campaigned some awesome horses all over the world, this horse’s attitude to his work is second to none.


He is an athlete who stands out way above his European peers and should he take on the best the USA have to throw at him on the 7th November on a foreign surface he is not bred for and win, he will be without doubt the best the world has ever seen. How on earth could he not be, if he won the race at the world racing championships, with worthy horses from across the globe by invitation, unless of course you would have him contest the Melbourne Cup!

For although European grass performers have come near to a breeders cup classic on several occasions and won one last year, those horses have had dirt in their pedigrees and had not achieved anywhere near what this horse has done in his all be it short career.

If he contests and wins the Classic what in earth would be the point in running him as a 4 YO. Besides the 2010 BC will be held at Churchill Downs KY, still a dirt surface there is no way they will risk a run on that track graded for speed for the BC championships. The only sensible thing to do with this chap but send him to the breeding shed ASAP. How gutted would the racing world be if he ended up like George. He has already won the right to pass on those genes that have made him so great.

I think it highly unlikely we will see another like this certainly in our lifetimes. Unless of course it will be one of his offspring!!!
 
Ah, but that's another question . . . it's interesting to look down that list and consider how many of those undoubtable stars have also excelled in the breeding shed.

Now, Urban Sea, that's a GREAT horse.
smile.gif
 
It will be interesting to see if the Cape Cross (Danzig) stallion line proves to be as significant for Sea the Stars as the Sadlers Wells line has been for his offspring.
If so, we can surely hope for some amazing successors on the track.
Urban Sea definitely got world class racehorses, and in Galileo has a top class stallion son. Let's hope her magic carries through to her best son on the track, Sea the Stars.
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
didnt watch the race but heard he worked hard to win, dont follow racing really as hate to see such young horses out there, just my opinion

[/ QUOTE ]

I think it's fair to say that anything has to work hard to win the Arc. He won really strongly though, and the field were well beaten.
 
An amazing race! Set aside the afternoon to see it, but couldn't post any comments until now.
tongue.gif


Justifies the label "great" now I think. To pull as hard as he did, get boxed in until quite late and then scorch through the field as he did was just incredible.

On his participation in the Breeders' Cup Classic, after the George Washington horror, I can't bear to see any dirt track racing, however good the actual surface. This exceptional horse has no need to travel halfway round the world, at the end of a long and lucrative season, to race on such a surface.

I hope he bows out now.
 
Fantastic race and the he definitely deserves to be included in anyone's list of "greats" For me it was his best performance to date by far - really showed that he has a toughness as well as pure talent.

The Breeders' Cup is due to be run at Santa Anita again which is actually an artificial surface and not dirt, although I too hope he doesn't run - for me he has nothing left to prove and I think that the team around him think the same.
 
ATR said this morning that ccording to the owner it is 50/50 whether he runs or not.

I'd love to see him finished for this season now, and stay in training next yet to do the global calendar.
 
According to what's in the Telegraph sport section today, he may never run again and go straight to stud.

Be interested to see what happens over the next couple of months
 
A phenomenal horse who deserves all the accolades said of him. I too think that going for the Breeders Cup would not be a good idea. Not that I don’t think he would win, but if I owned this horse I would now be worried for his safety. He has beaten the best, so why not let him enjoy the fruits of his genes and see if his breeding can be passed on to the next generations. As others have said, he does not need to prove anything else, he is a world great!
 
'The light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly' Bladerunner
 
[ QUOTE ]
<font color="blue"> what is great in the end? </font>

Dead or broken down, sadly
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

That's hardly true.........
confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
<font color="blue"> what is great in the end? </font>

Dead or broken down, sadly
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

And on what basis do you come to this conclusion? Genuine question, I'm interested.
 
Oh my, what a maudlin tone this has taken.
wink.gif


The thing you have to remember about the artificial surface is that, leaving aside the debate about its safety, the horses that run on it in America also train on it. Unlike here, the vast majority of horses live at the track (Woodbine, in Toronto, had 2500 resident horses going in and out regularly!) and train on the surface every day. Obviously most of the horses at the BC won't be resident at Santa Anita but they will likely come from some other track that has an artificial surface of some sort.

I think it's a huge ask to send a horse that distance, into a totally different climate and system, to run on an unfamiliar surface. It's not exactly a level playing field, even with horses coming from the East Coast. We shall see, I guess. Perhaps they think if they don't send him - aside from the $$$ of course - there will always be a "but" in his legacy.

I'm getting very partial to Cape Cross. I know two who, while maybe not the most impressive on the surface, are lovely "people" and good, tough race horses. I know two is not a sample but positive associations and all that.
smile.gif
 
Judging by last years results, I think he stands a huge chance on the Pro-Ride if they decide to go, probably more so than on the very firm inner turf at SA and a tight track by European standards just 7 furlongs, compared to the mile oval of the outer artificial track. Bearing in mind that the only park type tracks he has raced on are Sandown and leopardstown just a tad bigger than the SA turf! He has also never run on a European firm course let alone the concrete of California.

The Pro-Ride statistics on injuries are impressive when compared to the traditional dirt surface, which was why authorities in California insisted on the change.

His trainer is one of the very best at international travel and if they decide to run, the horse will be there with the best possible prep and chance. His temperament lends itself to travel and a good clip out should help with the climate. The turf horses performed very well on the artificial last year with the Europeans well up there ergo only the second European victory in the history of the BC classic with Ravens Pass.

From a stud point of view a win in the classic will assure him of the best possible start at stud with the best mares from both sides of the pond lining up, especially as North American tracks will probably all go artificial, he will be at the top of the wish list of future sires.

Also it's a chance to prove to timeform that he is every bit as good as those few still rated above him. One thing he will get in the Classic is tested with a good pace and some worthy rivals that could push him to that earthshattering performance!

It is possible I suppose that they might consider a tilt at the Japan cup dirt or turf, gving him a bit of a rest (29th Nov) but this has really lost its edge with the BC being so close.

If he should continue in training (unlikely) I do hope that they do not contend the classic in 2010 on the KY dirt at Churchill Downs, that could end in a real disaster!
 
Wonderful horse, and great training job to keep him so sweet all season long. I was thinking about Nijinsky and its true, he did perform poorly towards the end of the season. But he did get ringworm before the St Leger which might excuse that. I would have loved to have seen Sea The Stars contest the St Leger, its only a recent modern fashion to consider it too long for potential stallions.

I'm not a fan of the Breeders Cup. I think Sea The Stars's season has already been long enough and so often the BC races are won by total outsiders and relatively moderate horses. Ditto the Japan Cup which I agree has also lost its edge. I'd rather see him kept on in training as a 4 year old and contest mile races as well middle distance. But if he isn't being kept in training, then I guess he may as well go for the Breeders Cup, at least it isn't on dirt this year.
 
He has won ALL his group 1 races this yr with ease,am not denying he is a great racehorse,but i would love to see him in training for the nxt 2yrs
smile.gif
,prove his worth continously!
Sadly yeats didnt go out on a high(ballydoyles fault) but hell for his age against younger stock he fought his last battle well
smile.gif
 
Dubai Millennium died of grass sickness and Shergar was stolen by the IRA.

I therefore don't think either of their deaths can be attributed to over racing!!!
 
Phar Lap was allededly doped and Barbaro was just bloody unlucky. Any horse can take an unlucky step, anywhere! Dragon22 hit the nail on the head regarding Dubai Millenium and Shergar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top