NEWS
Sea The Stars out of Breeders’ Cup, retired
Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:09 AM
SEA THE STARS
John Crofts photo
Sea The Stars will not compete in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, and he has been retired.
Stud plans have not been announced for the three-year-old Cape Cross (Ire) colt, who matched his dam, Urban Sea, by Miswaki, by winning the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) on October 4.
Trainer John Oxx confirmed his retirement on Tuesday in a statement.
“We feel it is unfair to keep him going any further given his unprecedented record of achievement in the last six months,” Oxx said in a statement.
Oxx and owner-breeder Christopher Tsui had left the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on the table for Sea The Stars, while sharing their clear reservations. Oxx said repeatedly that the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 7 would fall late in the year for a campaign that began on May 2 with a win in the Stanjames.com Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1).
Sea The Stars also prevailed in the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-G1), emulating his half brother, leading sire Galileo (Ire). He added consecutive wins in the Coral Eclipse Stakes (Eng-G1), Juddmonte International Stakes (Eng-G1), and Tattersalls Millions Irish Champions Stakes (Ire-G1), before capping his remarkable season with a two-length triumph in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“He’s come out of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in his usual good form,” Oxx said in a statement. “He is fit and healthy and has been cantering since the race.”
The defection is a blow to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which also will be run without star three-year-old Rachel Alexandra. His absence will place even greater emphasis on the pending decision on a race choice for undefeated champion older female Zenyatta, who could take on males for the first time in the Classic or seek a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).
“Sea The Stars has had an extraordinary career by any measure and we wish his connections the best and thank them for the careful consideration of the Breeders' Cup," Breeders' Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli said in a statement. "We remain focused on the 26th Breeders' Cup World Championships and the strong fields scheduled to compete, including the sensational undefeated mare Zenyatta, the best horses in training in the US and an outstanding contingent of international runners that will try to match the success the European horses enjoyed last year.”
