38
only her second start. But she failed to
progress in three further starts, ending
her racing career with a Listed third
place.
At stud she’s produced three fillies
who have gone on to a Racing Post
rating of 110+. Her 2009 filly Wading
only raced at two but won twice from
three starts, including the Gr.2 Rockfel
Stakes at Newmarket. Wading has
already gone on to produce the useful
Just Wonderful a Gr.2 winner who is
Gr.1 placed.
Cherry Hinton’s 2011 filly by Montjeu,
Bracelet, was an even batter racehorse
than her half-sister, winning the Rib-
blesdale at Royal Ascot before taking
the Irish Oaks. Athena, born in 2015
from a pairing with Camelot, won the
Grade 1 Belmont Oaks and finished
fourth in both the Irish Champion
Stakes and the Ribblesdale. She also
finished second to Sea Of Class in a
Listed race at newbury.
Sea The Stars
Urban Sea’s 2005 colt foal Sea’s
Legacy was unraced and but that
year’s pairing with up-coming sire
Cape Cross resulted in a 2006 colt foal
who raced in the same colours that
Urban Sea herself had raced in.
Named Sea The Stars, the colt was
sent to John Oxx who raced him to
win two of his three starts as a two
year old, his solitary defeat occurring
on his debut after which he was never
beaten again.
At three he went straight to the
2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, winning
well. Next up was the Derby where he
started second favourite to Aidan
O’Brien’s Fame And Glory. Although
he’d had the speed to win the Guineas
any stamina doubts were dispelled as
Sea The Stars won with a bit in hand.
They dropped him in trip for his next
three runs but it didn’t phase the colt
who won the Eclipse, the Juddmonte
International and the Irish Champion
Stakes during a glorious summer. He’d
already established himself as a very,
very good horse, now he was one step
from greatness and that status was
duly accorded next time up when he
stepped back up to a mile and a half to
take the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe,
just as his dam had done 16 years earli-
er. Urban Sea thus became one of only
two Arc winners to be dam of another,
Detroit, dam of Carnegie, was the
other to achieve this feat.
As with Galileo, Sea The Stars has
gone on to be a huge success at stud.
He’s already sired a Derby winner,
Harzand in 2016, a result that meant
Urban Sea has thrown two Derby win-
ners who have both gone on to sire
Derby winners themselves.
Sea The Stars’ notable and growing
list of top class winners includes Star-
divarius, Crystal Ocean, Sea Of Class,
Cloth Of Stars, Harzand and Taghroo-
da. Like Galileo, the unique blend of
speed and stamina he imparts is a key
point of difference.Born To Sea
Urban Sea’s final throw of the dice at
stud was her 2009 colt by Invincible
Spirit, Born To Sea who, like Sea The
Stars, was trained by John Oxx.
In contrast to Sea The Stars, who
had lost on his debut, Born To Sea won
on his. But, while Sea The Stars never
lost again, Born To Sea never won
again. Such a stat is a little unfair as he
raced at a high level, finishing second
in an Irish Derby, fourth in a St. James’s
Palace Stakes and registered a furthertwo places at Group level. In all he
raced eight times and retired to stud
where his best offspring to date is the
William Haggas trained filly Sea Of
Grace.
Urban Sea sadly died after compli-
cations set in following the Born To
Sea foaling.
Her legacy, just over thirty years
after her birth and only twenty three
years after her first foal was born, is
already assured.
Her influence, primarily through her
two Derby winning sons and their own
sons and daughters but also through
the influence of her daughters, is
already enormous.
She was European Champion Older
mare in 1993, Ireland’s Broodmare of
the Year in 2001, England’s Top Brood-
mare in the same year, Irish
Thoroughbred Breeders Association
Outstanding Broodmare of the Year in
2005 and recipient of the Special
Achievement Award at the Irish Thor-
oughbred Breeders Association
awards in 2009.
Stallions may rule the racing roost
but a rooster is no good without a hen
and there is a strong argument to say
that has been no better, or bluer, hen
than Urban Sea in thoroughbred
history.STAR STALLIONS
RACING AHEADISSUE 178RABorn To Sea ridden
by jockey Johnny
Murtagh goes to
post in the Qipco
2000 Guineas