Sea The Stars pointing to the Irish Derby
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Sporting Life:
The Irish Derby looks set to be the next port of call for Sea The Stars following his devastating performance in the Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday.
Having won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in similarly scintillating style a month earlier, the son of Cape Cross had plenty of stamina questions to answer on the Downs but the John Oxx-trained superstar silenced the doubters as he stretched readily clear of his rivals.
"The Irish Derby is the obvious next race for him but he's dependant on goodish ground and the weather here has been bad for two and a half years," said Currabeg handler Oxx.
"If he didn't run there because of the ground he'd probably run in the Eclipse.
"I see him as a horse for the top mile and a quarter races like the Eclipse, the Juddmonte International, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket."
His Epsom heroics means the three-year-old now heads the betting for races like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders' Cup Classic, although Oxx is keen to take it one race at a time, and an Arc bid is not certain.
He said: "The Breeders' Cup this year and last year is slightly different to previous years because it is run on a Polytrack-type surface.
"I would never ask a three-year-old to run on the traditional American dirt but obviously the new surface is a bit more tempting.
"When Sinndar won the Arc it was good to firm and it can go either way, so we just have to see how the year goes.
"We'll have to make a decision whether we will prepare him for the Arc, but then we might have to take him out because of the ground. We might just make a decision we're not going to go for it."
Plenty of people would love to see the colt now aim to join Nijinsky by winning the St Leger at Doncaster in September and in so doing secure the elusive Triple Crown, but Oxx has all but ruled it out.
"I think you can probably rule the St Leger out but we haven't really sat down and discussed it yet. Obviously I'll speak to the owner but he looks like a horse that would be absolutely at home at a mile and a quarter," Oxx told At The Races.
"He is by Cape Cross and I think it might be stretching our luck for him to go and win the St Leger. You might say he won't meet the same class (of horse) there but it's a very gruelling race and I think it would be a bridge too far for him."
Plenty of judges anticipated Aidan O'Brien's pacemakers to set a stronger gallop than the one that ensued at Epsom, but Oxx feels it made little difference to the result.
"Our fellow jumped out thinking he was in the Guineas again and I think we expected a faster first couple of furlongs which would have actually helped him settle down," the trainer continued.
"Our fellow is such a speedy horse he always looks like he'd be comfortable going a stride faster. I don't think if they had gone a bit faster it would have made any difference as he stayed the trip well enough.
"He's won the Guineas and the Derby which is quite a double and he's such a vast horse. Any Guineas winner could probably run well in a July Cup as well and he has got that sort of level of speed."
Having become the first horse for 20 years to win the 2000 Guineas and Derby, Sea The Stars is quoted at 5-4 by the sponsors to further emulate Nashwan and add Coral-Eclipse victory to his roll of honour.
Spokesman David Stevens said: "Nashwan was the last Derby winner to go on to victory at Sandown, and if connections aim Sea The Stars at the Coral-Eclipse, he would be a short-priced favourite to complete the same historic treble as Dick Hern's superstar."
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Coral bet: 7-2 Sea The Stars, 10-1 Conduit, Tartan Bearer, 12-1 Fame And Glory, Vision D'Etat, 16-1 Aizavoski, Beheshtam, Casual Conquest, Cutlass Bay, Soldier Of Fortune, Stacelita, Youmzain.
Breeders' Cup Classic, Coral bet: 6-1 Sea The Stars, 7-1 Zenyatta, 9-1 Rachel Alexandra, 10-1 Gladiatorus, Well Armed, 12-1 Quality Road, 14-1 Mine That Bird, Pioneerof The Nile, 16-1 Dunkirk, Einstein, Rip Van Winkle, Summer Bird, Tiago.
The Irish Derby looks set to be the next port of call for Sea The Stars following his devastating performance in the Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday.
Having won the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in similarly scintillating style a month earlier, the son of Cape Cross had plenty of stamina questions to answer on the Downs but the John Oxx-trained superstar silenced the doubters as he stretched readily clear of his rivals.
"The Irish Derby is the obvious next race for him but he's dependant on goodish ground and the weather here has been bad for two and a half years," said Currabeg handler Oxx.
"If he didn't run there because of the ground he'd probably run in the Eclipse.
"I see him as a horse for the top mile and a quarter races like the Eclipse, the Juddmonte International, the Irish Champion Stakes and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket."
His Epsom heroics means the three-year-old now heads the betting for races like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders' Cup Classic, although Oxx is keen to take it one race at a time, and an Arc bid is not certain.
He said: "The Breeders' Cup this year and last year is slightly different to previous years because it is run on a Polytrack-type surface.
"I would never ask a three-year-old to run on the traditional American dirt but obviously the new surface is a bit more tempting.
"When Sinndar won the Arc it was good to firm and it can go either way, so we just have to see how the year goes.
"We'll have to make a decision whether we will prepare him for the Arc, but then we might have to take him out because of the ground. We might just make a decision we're not going to go for it."
Plenty of people would love to see the colt now aim to join Nijinsky by winning the St Leger at Doncaster in September and in so doing secure the elusive Triple Crown, but Oxx has all but ruled it out.
"I think you can probably rule the St Leger out but we haven't really sat down and discussed it yet. Obviously I'll speak to the owner but he looks like a horse that would be absolutely at home at a mile and a quarter," Oxx told At The Races.
"He is by Cape Cross and I think it might be stretching our luck for him to go and win the St Leger. You might say he won't meet the same class (of horse) there but it's a very gruelling race and I think it would be a bridge too far for him."
Plenty of judges anticipated Aidan O'Brien's pacemakers to set a stronger gallop than the one that ensued at Epsom, but Oxx feels it made little difference to the result.
"Our fellow jumped out thinking he was in the Guineas again and I think we expected a faster first couple of furlongs which would have actually helped him settle down," the trainer continued.
"Our fellow is such a speedy horse he always looks like he'd be comfortable going a stride faster. I don't think if they had gone a bit faster it would have made any difference as he stayed the trip well enough.
"He's won the Guineas and the Derby which is quite a double and he's such a vast horse. Any Guineas winner could probably run well in a July Cup as well and he has got that sort of level of speed."
Having become the first horse for 20 years to win the 2000 Guineas and Derby, Sea The Stars is quoted at 5-4 by the sponsors to further emulate Nashwan and add Coral-Eclipse victory to his roll of honour.
Spokesman David Stevens said: "Nashwan was the last Derby winner to go on to victory at Sandown, and if connections aim Sea The Stars at the Coral-Eclipse, he would be a short-priced favourite to complete the same historic treble as Dick Hern's superstar."
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Coral bet: 7-2 Sea The Stars, 10-1 Conduit, Tartan Bearer, 12-1 Fame And Glory, Vision D'Etat, 16-1 Aizavoski, Beheshtam, Casual Conquest, Cutlass Bay, Soldier Of Fortune, Stacelita, Youmzain.
Breeders' Cup Classic, Coral bet: 6-1 Sea The Stars, 7-1 Zenyatta, 9-1 Rachel Alexandra, 10-1 Gladiatorus, Well Armed, 12-1 Quality Road, 14-1 Mine That Bird, Pioneerof The Nile, 16-1 Dunkirk, Einstein, Rip Van Winkle, Summer Bird, Tiago.