Plaudits and writers alike have been quick to put a superstar tag on the horse, which could well be justified. He ran three times as a two year old, starting off with a modest fourth place in a 7 furlong maiden at The Curragh, he then followed that up with two wins, including a Group Two over a mile, once again at The Curragh.
That Group Two win at The Curragh certainly got the tongues wagging and it has been a reasonably open secret in Ireland since that trainer, John Oxx was handling a young colt that could well be very special indeed.
His performances on course up until the Guineas were every bit as good as his pedigree, which is simply top class. He is out of a past Arc winner, Urban Sea and is a half brother to Galileo, winner of the 2001 Epsom Derby. He also carried a fair amount of size with him and the Parade Ring enthusiasts were eyeing him up very favourably in the Newmarket parade ring, before the big race got under way. His size and running style alone have had the experts predicting that he has the scope to step up on The 2000 Guineas distance of 1 mile, to the 1 mile 4 furlong trip that the Epsom Derby presents.
John Oxx is one of the most highly respected trainers in the world and he rarely enters a horse in a classic race unless he believes that he has a great chance to win. His owners, who include the Aga Khan respect his stance on this matter, happy to be guided by his great racing instincts.
Oxx is very keen to score a classic double this year. He had not won the 2000 Guineas before in his career until his recent victory at Newmarket's Rowley Mile in the first classic of the season on Saturday 2nd May. But he has won the Epsom Derby before with Sinndar in 2000 so if he does send Sea the Stars to Epsom at the beginning of June, it is because he thinks he has a genuine chance of winning the race. It is quite obvious by the manner of the colt’s victory in the Guineas that he will stay the Epsom trip, it is in his breeding and it is well within his capabilities, judging by the way he went on to win the race.
For jockey, Mick Kinane, Sea The Stars could be his third Epsom Derby winner, he won on Commander In Chief in 1993 and then went on to win on Galileo in 2001 and has a golden opportunity to win on his younger brother, eight years on. What a feat that would be for a jockey who will be just two weeks short of his 50th birthday when the race takes place.
The Guineas and Epsom Derby double has not been achieved since Nashwan won both races back in 1989, highlighting just how difficult it is to achieve the double, with many horses in that twenty years having tried and failed. Whether Sea the Stars is good enough to go down in Flat Racing's Hall of Fame remains to be seen but the early signs suggest that their is much promise and optimism surrounding this Colt and for Racing fans it is very exciting to have a potential superstar emerging on the scene.
View the latest Epsom Derby news and reports from the author of this article and his previews on all the Runners and Derby Tips for the 2009 race at his website.
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