Sea The Stars wins the Arc; Youmzain second
DiscreetCat
Moderator
Congrats to all who followed along here. Haven't seen the exacta payout yet, but it should be nice...
from Press Association Sport, via the Sporting Life website:
Sea The Stars secured racing immortality with victory in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
The John Oxx-trained colt carved his name into the annals of Turf history with a sixth consecutive Group One triumph.
Brilliantly ridden by the veteran Mick Kinane, who has been at the helm for all nine of Sea The Stars' racecourse appearances, the remarkable three-year-old emphatically justified red-hot favouritism.
Youmzain, ridden by Kieren Fallon and trained by Mick Channon, finished second in the Arc for a third consecutive year.
The Frankie Dettori-ridden Cavalryman stayed on for third, but was no match for the mercurial winner.
It was also the manner of Sea The Stars' triumph which made his exploits in France all the more exemplary.
Having been very keen and lost ground in the early throes of the race, many observers might have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
Even approaching the top of the home turn, Kinane's partner was engulfed behind a wall of horses - with Set Sail and Grand Ducal ensuring a generous pace from the head of affairs.
Once the gaps appeared, however, the race changed suddenly.
Stacelita went for the jugular inside the final 300 yards but Sea The Stars had all bases covered under his unflappable rider.
Exhibiting a jaw-dropping turn of foot, the Cape Cross colt scampered clear inside the final 200 yards to easily repel the challenge of the game Youmzain.
Oxx joked: "(My heart) is still beating fairly slow, I think. "It's wonderful that it's over - it's just a great relief.
"It's wonderful that he's come through it. He was in a nice position and he just had to step up the gears a bit to get out.
"Mick would not panic because this horse has the gears.
"That's what any jockey will tell you, if the horse has the speed and the gears he will get himself out of trouble."
Sea The Stars has, incredulously, now won a Group One race in every month since May, when he scorched to victory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Subsequent triumphs in the Epsom Derby and Coral-Eclipse soon followed, after which he headed to York for the Juddmonte International.
It was a similar outcome on the Knavesmire as the Christopher Tsui-owned maestro defeated Mastercraftsman by a length.
Next up was the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, where he produced a clinical performance in dispatching the challenge of perennial bridesmaid Fame And Glory.
If the Irish Champion represented his hitherto most accomplished success, Sea The Stars' victory in the Arc was easily his most important - and arguably his most dramatic.
Such is the fiery strength in depth within the European showpiece, it is easy to understand how upwardly-mobile animals can occasionally stall in the Parisian suburbs.
Thanks to Sea The Stars' unparalleled magnificence, even when the chips are down, racing purists not once had cause for concern.
No other horse has ever secured the Guineas, Derby and Arc treble.
Then again, Sea The Stars is unlike any other horse we have seen before.
Kinane added: "I ended up in a position I maybe didn't want to, but I didn't want to risk firing him up.
"They were going a nice pace and I knew I would need a bit of luck in the straight, no matter what happened, but I knew I had the pace to go anywhere I wanted.
"He's a phenomenal horse."
from Press Association Sport, via the Sporting Life website:
Sea The Stars secured racing immortality with victory in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
The John Oxx-trained colt carved his name into the annals of Turf history with a sixth consecutive Group One triumph.
Brilliantly ridden by the veteran Mick Kinane, who has been at the helm for all nine of Sea The Stars' racecourse appearances, the remarkable three-year-old emphatically justified red-hot favouritism.
Youmzain, ridden by Kieren Fallon and trained by Mick Channon, finished second in the Arc for a third consecutive year.
The Frankie Dettori-ridden Cavalryman stayed on for third, but was no match for the mercurial winner.
It was also the manner of Sea The Stars' triumph which made his exploits in France all the more exemplary.
Having been very keen and lost ground in the early throes of the race, many observers might have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
Even approaching the top of the home turn, Kinane's partner was engulfed behind a wall of horses - with Set Sail and Grand Ducal ensuring a generous pace from the head of affairs.
Once the gaps appeared, however, the race changed suddenly.
Stacelita went for the jugular inside the final 300 yards but Sea The Stars had all bases covered under his unflappable rider.
Exhibiting a jaw-dropping turn of foot, the Cape Cross colt scampered clear inside the final 200 yards to easily repel the challenge of the game Youmzain.
Oxx joked: "(My heart) is still beating fairly slow, I think. "It's wonderful that it's over - it's just a great relief.
"It's wonderful that he's come through it. He was in a nice position and he just had to step up the gears a bit to get out.
"Mick would not panic because this horse has the gears.
"That's what any jockey will tell you, if the horse has the speed and the gears he will get himself out of trouble."
Sea The Stars has, incredulously, now won a Group One race in every month since May, when he scorched to victory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Subsequent triumphs in the Epsom Derby and Coral-Eclipse soon followed, after which he headed to York for the Juddmonte International.
It was a similar outcome on the Knavesmire as the Christopher Tsui-owned maestro defeated Mastercraftsman by a length.
Next up was the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, where he produced a clinical performance in dispatching the challenge of perennial bridesmaid Fame And Glory.
If the Irish Champion represented his hitherto most accomplished success, Sea The Stars' victory in the Arc was easily his most important - and arguably his most dramatic.
Such is the fiery strength in depth within the European showpiece, it is easy to understand how upwardly-mobile animals can occasionally stall in the Parisian suburbs.
Thanks to Sea The Stars' unparalleled magnificence, even when the chips are down, racing purists not once had cause for concern.
No other horse has ever secured the Guineas, Derby and Arc treble.
Then again, Sea The Stars is unlike any other horse we have seen before.
Kinane added: "I ended up in a position I maybe didn't want to, but I didn't want to risk firing him up.
"They were going a nice pace and I knew I would need a bit of luck in the straight, no matter what happened, but I knew I had the pace to go anywhere I wanted.
"He's a phenomenal horse."
Comments
Sea The Stars paid $3.40 to win, and the $2 exacta with Youmzain paid a whopping $52.60. WOW!