Sea the Stars (Ire)
One of Shadwell's plethora of Royal Ascot winners, Hukum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) took a step forward on Saturday to readily dismiss some seasoned and proficient members of the older brigade in Newbury's G3 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Geoffrey Freer S. While the G1 St Leger has so far evaded Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, this could be the one after all this time if the head of the empire chooses to channel him in that direction following this emphatic success from one of the operation's most promising young talents. So...
The catalogue for the Goffs Orby Sale, which includes a Sea The Stars (Ire) half-sister to a trio of Group 1 winners out of Theatrical (Ire) mare Green Room (lot 176), is now online. Numerous blue-blooded pedigrees make up the two-day sale, with 474 yearlings set to go under the hammer on Sept. 29-30. Sunday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is a €175,000 graduate of the Orby Sale. Ballylinch Stud will offer the 12th foal of the unraced Green Room, whose 2018 Galileo...
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Insights features a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of a MG1SW. 2.25 Deauville, Mdn, €22,000, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT His Highness The Aga Khan's ERDANA (FR) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is the first foal produced by Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), a former Jean-Claude Rouget incumbent whose...
Capping a week to remember even by his exalted standards, Frankie Dettori dropped in on Dusseldorf to whip up the crowd as he steered the Westerberg colour-bearer Miss Yoda (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) to glory in the G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana. On the front from the outset and allowed her own terms, the June 5 Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner was only headed briefly in early straight as Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) loomed but when shaken up forged a 3/4-of-a-length success from Zamrud (Ger) (Samum {Ger}), who nosed...
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Raabihah (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who went untested as a juvenile, was up with the larks for a Jan. 23 debutantes' heat win at Cagnes-sur-Mer and doubled up with an impressive tally in ParisLongchamp's May 14 Listed Prix de la Seine before posting a commendable fourth, despite a troubled trip, pitched into Chantilly's rescheduled July 5 G1 Prix de Diane in her latest outing. Sent off as the 2-5 lock on a retrieval mission in Saturday's G3 Prix de Psyche Sky Sports Racing over...
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday's Insights features a daughter of Breeders' Cup heroine Intercontinental (GB) (Danehill). 4.20 Goodwood, Mdn, £16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT MISS CHESS (IRE) (Zoffany {Ire}) bids to build on her debut third at Yarmouth earlier this month on the same card that her G1 Prix de Diane-winning half-sister Fancy Blue...
There was a degree of worry and stress for the connections and abundant fans of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) to endure during Tuesday's G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, but ultimately it was the familiar outcome as Bjorn Nielsen's chestnut wrought a fourth victory in this historic prize. Momentarily pinned behind Nayef Road (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) inside the last two furlongs, the 4-7 favourite had to make his own racing room as the last furlong neared but by now there seems very little that...
John Gosden has earmarked next month's G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks as the first target for MG1SW Star Catcher (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) ahead of a potentially busy autumn campaign. Last year's G1 Irish Oaks heroine is being readied to make her comeback in the 12-furlong contest, which could potentially see her clash with stablemate, and dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). The Anthony Oppenheimer homebred established herself as one of the best middle-distance fillies in training after adding to her Curragh Classic success...
There was a twist to Friday's G2 Hardwicke S., as the 4-year-old filly Fanny Logan (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) rolled back the years as a Frankie Dettori-ridden Royal Ascot winner in Sheikh Mohammed's vintage maroon-and-white silks. Building on a comeback second in Haydock's G3 Pinnacle S. over this mile-and-a-half trip last time June 7, last year's G3 Darley Pride S. scorer who campaigns under the Sheikha Al Jalila Racing banner was reserved in rear early off the honest tempo. Launched wide in the straight, the 17-2 shot struck the...
Soft ground? No worries. If anything, that extra dimension only served to exaggerate the superiority of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) as Bjorn Nielsen's chestnut entered immortality with an emphatic third G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Joining Sagaro (GB) and now only one off Yeats (Ire) with his awe-inspiring tally, the 4-5 favourite was always well within his comfort zone sauntering around this part of Berkshire that he has made his own. Switched off in his customary mid-division pitch throughout the early stages, he was lightly squeezed into...
Strongly-supported for Saturday's G2 Betfair Dahlia Fillies' S. at Newmarket, Godolphin's G2 Prix de la Nonette winner Terebellum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) justified the burden of 10-11 favouritism to provide Frankie Dettori with his first winner in the royal blue since 2012. Travelling smoothly in mid-division early, the bay moved to Magic Lily (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and into the lead passing the two-furlong pole before holding Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal) to score a shade comfortably by 1 1/4 lengths. Making a bold impression with a 4 1/2-length winning...
Following two fluent wins over a mile at Kempton and Sandown in August and September with a runner-up finish in the G3 Zetland S. at Newmarket in October, Miss Yoda (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) looked the clear pick of the trio heading for Friday's Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial which the John Gosden stable won in 2019 with the subsequent Epsom heroine Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Missing the break as the fellow Gosden-trained Lake Lucerne (Dubawi {Ire}) was withdrawn having become upset in the stall next door, the even-money favourite...