By Tom Frary
As her sire did in 2009, Sea of Class (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) carried the Tsui silks with genuine swagger on Thursday to collect one of the York Ebor meeting's trio of feature races. Made the 7-4 favourite for the G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks following her impressive win in the G1 Irish Oaks at The Curragh July 21, the chestnut languished in rear throughout the early stages with James Doyle sitting as quiet as he had in Kildare. Letting all rivals play their cards first in the straight, she was launched onto the lead 1 1/2 furlongs out and simply had too much speed for the 4-year-olds Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Eziyra (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) from there. They followed at 2 1/4-length and length intervals with the Classic generation striking a blow as it had in Wednesday's showcase. “That was sensational–she surprised me today as it's a front-runner's track here and she had a bit to do, but she was devastating,” trainer William Haggas said. “She didn't half pick up when he asked her and she's doing really well. I thought at The Curragh you could see every rib, but you could only see a couple today. She's a bit of a tail-swisher and all that, but she came to the races today and stood like a rock to be saddled and is as cool as a cucumber. She's a very late foal and didn't come to me until December and usually I don't really like that but they felt she needed time. She's not in the Arc, but I think Mrs Tsui will go for it if we want to.”
Sea of Class only made her debut in a mile maiden at Newmarket's Craven meeting Apr. 18, finishing a neck second to Ceilidhs Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) there before breaking her maiden in Newbury's 10-furlong Listed Haras De Bouquetot Fillies' Trial S. at Newbury. Showing the subsequent GI Belmont Oaks winner Athena (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) a clean pair of heels there, she was taken out of the Oaks due to the heavy rain and went back to the course-and-distance of her success to double her tally in the June 14 Listed Abingdon S. Up against a Ballydoyle armada and the Epsom heroine Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish Oaks, she was ridden like a certainty by Doyle and duly delivered with a perfectly-timed flourish and had thrived in the interim.
While the pace was far from exacting early as Ryan Moore sought to keep something for the finish on the front-running G2 Ribblesdale S. Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Sea of Class settled perfectly at the back with the chief sufferer of the tactical nature of the race being the keen G1 Prix de Diane heroine Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). As Doyle pushed the button just before halfway up the straight, a line of fillies were locked in combat spread across the track up ahead but all their endeavour proved fruitless as the winner rushed by. Coronet was the closest in proximity to Sea of Class and she was visually brushed aside but she picked herself back off the canvas after her virtual hammer blow to gain the silver medal for the second consecutive year. James Doyle said, “It went perfectly and it was how I saw the race unfolding. There were questions about what she had left in the locker, but she's a serious racehorse and has come a long way in a short space of time. When everything else is flat out, I'm still filling her up and she finds everything so easy. She's got that turn of pace and sustains it all the way to the line, but she's quite a light filly who is light on her feet and wouldn't want a bog.”
William Haggas is keen on the Oct. 7 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe now. “She won a proper race there and he didn't have to resort to the whip at all. He could have waited longer really. She is really thriving physically and has always been good to saddle and in the paddock–she's very business-like in everything else so we are very much tempted to supplement her for the Arc. I haven't spoken to Mrs Tsui yet, so we'll make a decision soon. That is the logical step for me. The plan is to keep her in training next season, but if she won everything this year then it might be different.” John Gosden said of Coronet, “I thought the winner was impressive and Coronet has been rock-solid all year. She'll be put away now to wait for Ascot [for the Oct. 20 G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S.].” She will probably renew rivalry there with Eziyra, with Dermot Weld saying, “I'm delighted with her, it was an excellent renewal this year, all the best fillies in Europe were here. She got a lovely ride from William [Buick], settled nicely and a furlong and a half out I thought she was going to win for a few strides, having quickened up lovely. I've an open mind about the future, but the Fillies and Mares race at Ascot on Champions Day, a race I have had good success in, would look a logical target. There's the [G1] Prix Vermeille [at ParisLongchamp Sept. 16] to think about before that.”
Sea of Class's listed-winning dam Holy Moon (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}) is a revelation, having produced five individual pattern-race winners and two other black-type performers. They include a triumvirate of G2 Oaks d'Italia heroines in Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}), Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), with the latter also annexing the G3 Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1000 Guineas). Charity Line and Final Score also captured the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio, while their half-brother Back On Board (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was runner-up in last year's G2 Derby Italiano. Holy Moon, whose yearling colt by Oasis Dream (GB) is named Honor and Pleasure (GB) and who also has a colt foal by Golden Horn (GB), is out of a half-sister to Bright Generation (Ire) (Rainbow Quest) who also took the Oaks d'Italia as a group 1 and is the second dam of the champion juvenile and sire Dabirsim (Fr) (Hat Trick {Jpn}).
Thursday, York, Britain
DARLEY YORKSHIRE OAKS-G1, £350,000, York, 8-23, 3yo/up, f, 11f 188yT, 2:30.44, g/f.
1–SEA OF CLASS (IRE), 124, f, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Holy Moon (Ire) (SW-Ity, $161,048), by Hernando (Fr)
2nd Dam: Centinela (GB), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: New Generation (Ire), by Young Generation (Ire)
(170,000gns Ylg '16 TATDEY). O-Sunderland Holding Inc;
B-Razza Del Velino SRL (IRE); T-William Haggas; J-James Doyle.
£198,485. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 5-4-1-0, $617,723. *1/2
to Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}), Hwt. 3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f &
G1SW-Ity, $454,242; Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}),
G1SW-Ity, $435,934; Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), Hwt.
3yo-Ity at 9.5-11f, MGSW & G1SP-Ity, $497,183; Wordless (Ire)
(Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), GSW-Ity, $148,264; Back On Board
(Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), GSP-Ity, $176,250; and Magic Mystery
(GB) (Pour Moi {Ire}), SP-Ity. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Coronet (GB), 133, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Approach (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
2nd Dam: Last Second (Ire), by Alzao
3rd Dam: Alruccaba (Ire), by Crystal Palace (Fr)
O/B-Denford Stud Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden. £75,250.
3–Eziyra (Ire), 133, f, 4, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Eytarna (Ire), by Dubai Destination
2nd Dam: Ebaziya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Ezana (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire)
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (IRE);
T-Dermot Weld. £37,660.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1, HF. Odds: 1.75, 4.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Horseplay (GB), Magic Wand (Ire), Laurens (Fr), Bye Bye Baby (Ire), Flattering (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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