BRIAN O’CONNOR Racing Correspondent of The Irish Times;
Sea The Stars fine ahead of Eclipse
Sea The Stars, Coral-Eclipse, Saturday
For Racing Diary reader who are on at 11-10, John Oxx’s words will be like music to their ears!
SEA THE STARS is dropping back to 10 furlongs for Saturday’s Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown but despite that his trainer John Oxx yesterday stressed his belief that the Epsom Derby winner has proved himself over a mile and a mile and a half and dismissed suggestions otherwise as “spin” from Coolmore Stud.
The Curragh trainer stated his happiness about Sea The Stars’s stamina in an interview yesterday and also said that a faster pace at Epsom last month would have suited his dual-Classic winning colt better. There was widespread criticism of the tactics employed by Aidan O’Brien’s team at Epsom where the runner-up Fame And Glory was generally regarded as being unsuited to a lack-lustre early tempo. The Montjeu colt impressively won last Sunday’s Irish Derby off a much stronger pace.
Sea The Stars missed the Curragh Derby due to ground conditions and now faces older horses for the first time over the shorter Eclipse distance. However Oxx said yesterday:
“He was a bit keen early on (at Epsom) and we would have preferred a faster pace ourselves. There’s a lot of Coolmore spin going around: they’re trying to alter the picture as best they can. That’s just their style and we all know about that! The result is there and he stays the trip well enough.”
Oxx also stressed yesterday the value of a colt proving his versatility and having won at a mile and a mile and a half, Sea The Stars will now attempt a Group hat-trick at different distances this weekend.
It should be a good distance for him, who knows what his best distance is yet. We will try him and see how he goes. It’s always nice to win top races over a variety of distances. Winning at a mile and a quarter would be another feather in his cap. It’s important to prove a horse’s versatility, Oxx isn’t underestimating the task facing Sea The Stars against the likes of Conduit and Rip Van Winkle on Saturday and said the result will be influential in deciding the rest of his colt’s 2009 campaign. Another race gives us more information. He has only had five races so every time he runs we learn a little more. It could point us in a certain direction, it looks like there will be a couple of pacemakers in the race so it will be a nice pace I hope. The usual blend of speed, stamina and class will be required.
Ground conditions are currently quick at Sandown but showers for the area are forecast over the next couple of days. However, Oxx doesn’t anticipate a late withdrawal similar to last weekend at the Curragh.
It’s not the same situation. It’s pretty fast at Sandown at the minute. At the moment it is very hot and they could get a thundery shower I suppose. We will monitor it but it’s not the same situation as last week when there was a lot of moisture in the ground to begin with.
Sea The Stars Best Price is now with BETFAIR..get a £25 NO LOSE FREE BET when you open an account with Betfair…
Watch Sea The Stars, from Youtube become the first horse since Nashwan to do the 2000 Guineas and Derby Double. Now he looks to emulate Nashwan and add the Coral Eclipse to the list…CLICK HERE to watch for Free
Can Rip Van Winkle Bat Sea The Stars Over 1m 2f…
Jimmy Fortune cleary thinks so, but we say he has no chance, here’s Jimmy view…
Jimmy Fortune can hardly wait to get the leg up on Aidan O’Brien’s Rip Van Winkle in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday. Fortune has come in for the ride on the Galileo colt with Ballydoyle stable jockey Johnny Murtagh on the sidelines due to suspension. The three-year-old has so far finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and in the Derby at Epsom, both of which were won by Sea The Stars. Fortune admits John Oxx’s charge is the one to beat again at the weekend but he has certainly not given up hope of turning the form around. Fortune told At The Races;
“He’s a very nice horse and for Johnny to ride him in the Derby, he has obviously being doing everything right at home so I’m very happy to get the ride. To win a Guineas and then go on and win a Derby, Sea The Stars is obviously a high-class horse and he’s the one we’ll all have to beat. Conduit is also a solid horse who has been there in these Group One races and done it. He handles the track and he is going to be there. It looks a three-horse race but you can not write off Luca Cumani’s horse (Cima De Triomphe). The trip could be ideal for us as he travelled well in the Derby and there were stamina doubts going in there, so you would have thought this was his trip. I’ll speak to Aidan and see what he wants me to do and obviously I’ll speak to Johnny and find out everything I can about the horse. Hopefully we’ll get it right on the day. We haven’t got that much to find with Sea The Stars, it’s going to be a great race and I’m looking forward to it.”
Joining Rip Van Winkle from Ballydoyle are Malibu Bay and Set Sail, while St Leger and Breeders’ Cup Turf hero Conduit spearheads the older generation, with stable companion Lang Shining also taking his chance. Henry Cecil’s Twice Over, Cima De Triomphe, Steele Tango and Jukebox Jury complete the stellar line-up. Mike De Kock’s Archipenko was not declared after suffering a swollen fetlock.
Tazeez, Monitor Closely and Westphalia were the other withdrawals at the final declaration stage, meaning the sponsors have decided to cut Sea The Stars to 4-6 from 4-5 for the historic contest. Coral spokesman Simon Clare feels he could be even shorter come post time.
Coral-Eclipse, prices: 4-6 Sea The Stars, 7-2 Conduit, 4-1 Rip Van Winkle, 8-1 Cima De Triomphe, 16-1 Twice Over, 66-1 Steele Tango, Jukebox Jury, 200-1 Malibu Bay, Lang Shining, 250-1 Set Sail
