Sea The Stars - Retirement Announced

Rain is just starting to fall now though it is pretty light - apologies if some finding some of the weather reports a bit of a bore!
 
Galileo said:
Rain is just starting to fall now though it is pretty light - apologies if some finding some of the weather reports a bit of a bore!
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...quite the opposite. I don't think I've ever been more interested in the state of the going before a big race.
 
The word soft will surely appear in the ground today if the forecast is remotely accurate. But as long as it does not get too soft today, the next couple of days and Saturday morning should give Leopardstown a decent chance of getting back to ground just on the easy side of good.
 
STS was just matched at 7.4 on Betfair so somones confident he won’t be turning up on Saturday

I’ve got flights & hotel booked so am a definite “runner” and if STS doesn’t make it, may have to take a trip to Paris, or even California in November!!
 
Looks like you could get some quite heavy stuff from about 2.30 to 4.30
 
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Galileo said:
Rain is just starting to fall now though it is pretty light - apologies if some finding some of the weather reports a bit of a bore!
Click to expand...

Quite the opposite! Much appreciated. It would be such a disappointment if Sea the Stars didn't run. We'd have to have the debate all over again for the Arc!
 
Perpetual said:
STS was just matched at 7.4 on Betfair so somones confident he won’t be turning up on Saturday

I’ve got flights & hotel booked so am a definite “runner” and if STS doesn’t make it, may have to take a trip to Paris, or even California in November!!
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book for california I'd say.
 
I wouldn't be too sure that Oxx is keen to run STS here anyway with O'Brien in such bullish tone (for him). Surely Oxx is going to take the least excuse not to run despite what he says... half of £40 million is not as good as all of it.
 
I'm afraid it's not good news:

"It has been raining solid for the past three hours at Leopardstown and Sea The Stars is now the 15/2 third favourite on Betfair for the Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday.
Fame And Glory is the 2/5 market leader with Casual Conquest the 7/1 second favourite".
To win the Irish Champion Stakes - Betfair bet: 2/5 Fame And Glory, 7/1 Casual Conquest, 15/2 Sea The Stars, 23/1 Mastercraftsman

Source: PA
 
The radar seems to be picking up some heavy stuff just south of the Wicklow hills by the looks of it that's swinground anti-clockwise and could be tracking into the Dublin area. There looks to me a mixture of 3mm to 8mm per hour on that stuff (yellow and pink on the chart) if that hits it'll last about 2-3 hours and probably make Oxx's mind up for him by about 11.00am tomorrow
 
I just hope Oxx declares the horse and leaves it as late as possible. Leopardstown is a remarkable racecourse and a couple of dry days and a guaranteed dry day on Saturday could the ground creep back to the easy side of good. Oxx knows this as well as anyone so I'd be disappointed if he didn't declare unless it has home very soft now.
 
Wouldn't think there's much chance of Sea The Stars turning up at this stage. Started out bright but by lunch time it was absolutely hacking down. Had tapered off a bit by 5 but seems to have picked up again.

We need two bone dry days to have any chance at all, which looks about as likely as me boning Megan Fox in the next two days...
 
Would there be any need for Fame and Glory to run, whats he going to prove by beating the likes of Casual Conquest and horses he see's every day at home
 
BRIAN O'CONNOR Racing Correspondent
THE AMOUNT of rain due to fall on Leopardstown today will play a “crucial” role in whether or not the most eagerly awaited clash of the racing year between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory goes ahead on Saturday.
The usual determination of the Sea The Stars camp to race on a minimum of good ground, and nothing softer, may be weakening slightly, with Curragh trainer John Oxx admitting he would consider taking part in this weekend’s €1 million Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes on a slightly slower surface.
That may yet prove to be hugely significant with a forecast of 10mms of rain to fall on Leopardstown today. If that amount is correct, course officials reckon it could turn the going towards “yielding” and that would provoke confidence in ground conditions turning more suitable for Sea The Stars by Saturday.
“We are good to yielding, and good in places, today. It’s hard to be sure about the forecast but we could get 10mms plus on Wednesday and what we get tomorrow will be crucial. The forecast isn’t bad for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday with good drying conditions. But Wednesday will tell the tale,” said the Leopardstown manager Tom Burke yesterday.
“If it did turn yielding, then I think there would be a good chance of it coming back by Saturday,” he added. “I’m still very hopeful Sea The Stars will run.”
John Oxx has expressed his desire to run Sea The Stars in what would be the world’s highest-rated racehorse’s sole start in Ireland in 2009, and has appeared to soften his stance on running the colt on nothing softer than good.
“Once the word good is in the description, then I wouldn’t rule out running him, even if it was on the slow side of good,” he reported. “If he misses the weekend, then we will prepare him for the Arc and see what the ground is like there.”
Bookmakers, however, remain sceptical of a match-up between Sea The Stars and the Irish Derby winner Fame And Glory, with many not yet betting ante-post on the weekend highlight.
“Things are still uncertain and after the weather we have had it must be unlikely that Sea The Stars will run,” maintained Paddy Power yesterday. Powers, however, do have a match bet with Sea The Stars a 4 to 6 favourite against Fame And Glory (11 to 10).
Fame And Glory finished runner-up to Sea The Stars on the sole occasion they have clashed so far in June’s Epsom Derby. A slowly run race at Epsom was widely felt to have been a disadvantage to the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner and he subsequently was very impressive at the Curragh.
Saturday’s race is over a mile and a quarter rather than a mile and a half but O’Brien said yesterday he is unconcerned by the drop back in trip.
“We know it is 10 furlongs but it will be interesting to see. We don’t think the trip will be a problem. We always feel a top mile and a half horse will have no problem going back to 10 furlongs,” O’Brien said. “He has plenty of speed, is a great traveller and is tactically quick early.”
The champion trainer has six of the 11 entries remaining in the Champion Stakes and O’Brien hasn’t ruled out running the Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Mastercraftsman alongside Fame And Glory. Final declarations for the race take place tomorrow.
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Depressing to think that if Sea The Stars misses Saturday, he won't have run in Ireland as a 3yo.

A fact that won't be lost on John Oxx either I'd imagine.
 
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