Sea The Stars - Retirement Announced

Phil Smith, head of handicapping at the BHA, reports Sea The Stars ran to a mark of 131 in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday.
That's four pounds below the rating he achieved when winning the Irish Champion Stakes on his previous run.
"You don't get horses winning Group Ones in six successive months every year. That was very special on Sunday. Everytime you put opposition in front of him he beats them and is an absolute tip-top horse," Smith told At The Races.
"In terms of ratings we've left him on 135, which was the mark we had him performing to in the Irish Champion Stakes."
Smith revealed 131 was an easy rating to reach for the Longchamp performance.
"We looked at the Arc and there were pretty good yardsticks in Youmzain and Conduit in second and fourth, there are fractions between them. We have them both performing to 125. Youmzain had been placed in the race twice before and we had him running to 124 in 2007 and 125 last year .
"Conduit was rated 125 in the King George and America last year so we've rated the race through them. We call the winning distance more than two lengths given the ease of victory and we've called that six pounds so we've given Sea The Stars a performance figure of 131. That's all he needed to do to win the race. I suspect he had something in hand."
Smith admits Sea The Stars could achieve an even higher rating before the end of the year - even if he doesn't run again.
"We're still not sure we've got him as high as we can get him. Rip Van Winkle will go off to America and if he goes higher there then Sea The Stars will go higher," Smith confirmed.
"Our 135 is only an interim performance figure - if the form continues to work out there's no reason at the end of the year when we meet in Hong Kong we can't get him higher. 135 is the absolute minimum he will be at the end of the year."
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The coverage on the front pages of many of the Irish papers is very heartening indeed. A very good news story for Irish racing.
 
I am sure Phil Smith is an intelligent man, but every time he talks about handicapping he comes across as a complete guesser who plucks figures and supporting evidence out of thin air to make his point. He is doing more than anyone to perpetuate the impression that handicapping is guesswork with few if any formal rules. It makes me despair.

Delighted to learn of the news that Sea The Stars is news, Galileo. A few of my non-racing friends/family are starting to show a real interest in him now.....just when it seems he is about to be packed off to stud.....
 
By Lee Mottershead2.45PM 5 OCT 2009
SEA THE STARS' owner Christopher Tsui has revealed that his family have no plans to sell the "priceless" Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero.
Tsui, who also confirmed significant Japanese interest in Sea The Stars, said: "We are not looking to sell the horse.We have had offers coming for him all the time and from everywhere, but for now we are not interested."
After denying that he had himself been looking to buy a stud at which to stand Sea The Stars, Tsui added: "I think thereis a chance that Sea The Stars might stay in Ireland."
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The much improved performance of Zacinto was the head scratcher of the race. After a long discussion with Irish Turf Club Senior Handicapper Garry O'Gorman I have raised him 11lb to a new mark of 124; arguably he could be rated higher but, from a historical perspective we wished to keep him below horses such as multiple Group 1 winners Henrythenavigator and Shamardal (both 125) for the time being.

This is off the BHA blogs page. With regards to Phil Smith and the BHA approach, I thought of you Prufrock when I read this. Any views? :D
 
After denying that he had himself been looking to buy a stud at which to stand Sea The Stars, Tsui added: "I think thereis a chance that Sea The Stars might stay in Ireland."
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I thought that was only my own theory, anyway, looks like they're going to go to an established stud. The National stud must be fav. Any chance of him going to Kildangan, Derrinstown, or Giltown.
 
Galileo said:
The coverage on the front pages of many of the Irish papers is very heartening indeed. A very good news story for Irish racing.
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STS was front page news on most of the UK dailes today as well! which is pretty amazing. He had almost the whole of the front page of the Telegraph.

His total winnings are now £4,417,163 according to the RP website

Re Kinane retiring: whislt he is riding so brilliantly why would he stop? Admittedly next season is likely to be an anticlimax, but as I understand it his role with Oxx is much more than race riding - it involves him bringing on the youngsters and developing hte horses at home. He's said that that is what gives him the satisfaction (and why he didn't enjoy Ballydoyle). My hunch is that he will carry on with Oxx until they both retire together! I hope they do carry on, they make a great team
 
If this horse was trained in england by prescott or gosden this would be the greatest horse ever and i mean ever but since hes trained in ireland by the genuine oxx he might just be the best since Nijinsky this horse would make bits of them all .figures should be looked over since 1945 i mean for the top horses were talking about
 
Following on from our last update, Paddy Power has been forced to install Sea The Stars into this year's Irish Sports Personality of the Year betting following requests from punters on the champion horse.
And such is the demand for John Oxx’s colt the bookie has made the horse second favourite to win the award at 11/4.
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I must admit I looked on Betfair last night to see if there was a price for him in the Irish Sports Personality market! (there wasn't)
 
If this horse was trained in england by prescott or gosden this would be the greatest horse ever and i mean ever but since hes trained in ireland by the genuine oxx he might just be the best since Nijinsky this horse would make bits of them all .figures should be looked over since 1945 i mean for the top horses were talking about
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What an embarrasing post
 
I cant abide him i must admit. Remember seeing him on the box on some programme or other and hes as cocky and charmless as feared. First impression was you would never tire of hitting him....

He has a slight point about flat racings profile i suppose but could have been made without the laughable form comments
 
Gareth Flynn said:
Poor windup, really.
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Maybe, but he probably actually believes this bit

The fact is that the John Oxx-trained Sea The Stars beat perennial runner-up Youmzain by just two lengths. Last year's winner Zarkava also had Youmzain by two lengths and in 2007 the ordinary Dylan Thomas had a head to spare on him despite penning a sonnet at the two-furlong marker.
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People who know feck all about form and how to read it should not be allowed to have their thoughts published in national newspapers.
 
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