Sea The Stars proved beyond doubt that he is the outstanding colt, not only of his own generation, but also among his elder rivals, when winning the G1 Eclipse Stakes in masterful fashion. With this victory, he once again emulated the great Nashwan, who, in 1989, also won the 2000 Guineas and Derby en route to glory in Europe’s premier ten-furlong weight-for-age championship.
In his two Classic victories the son of Cape Cross has already demonstrated the ease with which he travels and ignites his lethal turn of foot and, in the Eclipse, he also displayed tenacity, holding off Rip Van Winkle in the closing stages up Sandown’s stamina-sapping hill. A lovely addition to Sea The Stars’ obvious athletic ability is his extraordinarily laidback temperament: a more unflappable champion it would be hard to find.
Routinely partnered by 50-year-old Mick Kinane, the Tsui family’s homebred colt has now triumphed in Group One races at a mile, a mileand a quarter and a mile and a half and vies with Galileo as the best son of their Arc-winning dam Urban Sea (Miswaki).
Cape Cross is the clear leader of the European sires’ table and, with 78 winners on the board already in 2009, he boasts a winners-to-runners’ strike rate of more than 39 per cent. His other Stakes winners this year include Crystal Capella, Recharge and Mac Love.
Also at Sandown, Say No Now, by Refuse To Bend, posted a highly creditable performance when finishing second in the Listed Coral Distaff Stakes. Oaks d’Italia runner-up Wadaat (Diktat) was a neck behind her in third.
Cadeaux Genereux's Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-winning son Donativum bounced back to winning form in France with victory in the Listed Prix de Saint-Patrick over a mile at Deauville.
Exceed And Excel sired a juvenile Group One place-getter when Exclaim'n'exclude ran third in the Golden Horseshoe at Greyville in South Africa. The colt was also placed in the G1 Gold Reef Resorts Medallion in May.
