Written by Melissa Steele
Things have been going rather well so far for Fifty Stars (Ire) in 2020. The improving 5-year-old was a deserved winner of the G1 Australian Cup at Flemington on March 7, backing up just a week after taking out the G2 Blamey S. at the same venue following his fast finishing fourth in the G1 CF Orr S. at the start of February.
In fact, it couldn’t really be going much better for the improving son of Sea The Stars (Ire) who was purchased as a yearling at Tattersalls Book 2 for 110,000 gns (AU$231,000) by John Foote on behalf of his owner Gerry Ryan. With little regard for the disadvantage of being born on Northern Hemisphere time, Fifty Stars went unbeaten as a 3-year-old against his slightly older peers and by the age of four he had fully shrugged off any age bias taking out three Group races, always knocking on the door at the highest level where he was rewarded this season.
John Foote | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Fifty Stars isn’t the first European import to win a Group 1 in Australia though and he’s unlikely to be the last, but he is the second by his sire Sea The Stars. Again, what’s the big deal you might ask? Just another European-bred sire dominating the middle-distance races Down Under. But here’s the thing.
Sea The Stars has never shuttled to Australia. He’s only ever covered a handful on Southern Hemisphere time and, from a small sample of 19 runners on the Australian turf - most of them imports - he’s had 12 winners, five stakes horses and two Group 1 winners. So, even for the most numerically challenged among us, the math is looking good.
Sea The Stars (Ire) | Image courtesy of The Aga Khan Studs
“He’s quite something,” states Pat Downes and it’s difficult to disagree with the man that stands Sea The Stars on behalf of his owner Mrs Tsui at the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud in Kildare.
Expectations were always going to be lofty for a horse by Cape Cross (Ire), out of G1 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea (USA) and hence, a half-brother to super sire Galileo (Ire), but the rest, as they say, is history.
Once described by his trainer John Oxx as “the perfect racing machine”, Sea The Stars did indeed rewrite the history books; capturing the imagination of the racing world and beyond as he ate up Group 1 after Group 1 during his 3-year-old career, only ever doing just enough to come home with the goods.
Sea The Stars (Ire) and Mick Kinane | Image courtesy Scoop Dyga photo
“He’s an amazing story,” explains Downes. “We’ve seen so many horses by Champions, out of Champions and the bar is set very high for them as a racehorse and then as a stallion. Credit to the horse, he never disappointed and he looks set for a very, very good career at stud as well. I’m delighted for the horse, I’m delighted for his owner [Mrs Tsui]. She had some great days racing with him and she retained all of him; it’s been a great success. She supports him in a big way herself and I think that’s important.”
“We’ve seen so many horses by Champions, out of Champions and the bar is set very high for them as a racehorse and then as a stallion. Credit to the horse, he never disappointed and he looks set for a very, very good career at stud as well." - Pat Downes
The story of Sea The Stars clearly did not end on the racecourse and his career at stud has so far produced 13 Group 1 winners – two of them in Australia - and include Classic winners Harzand (Ire), Sea Of Class (Ire), Taghrooda (GB), Sea The Moon (Ger) and Star Catcher (GB) not to mention the likes of Crystal Ocean (GB) and Stradivarius (Ire). It’s an impressive roll call for the sire on an upward trajectory which is reflected in his rising stud fee, set at €150,000 (AU$274,497) for the Northern Hemisphere season underway.
Harzand (Ire) and Pat Smullen | Image courtesy of Racing Post Photo
Among the elite group of those to fly the flag for Sea The Stars in the Southern Hemisphere, in addition to Fifty Stars, are the G1 Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh (Ire), G3 Lexus S. winning Oceanographer (GB), as well as, dual Listed winner Tall Ship (Ire) and multiple Group 2 placed Storm The Stars (USA). But what is it about Sea The Stars’ offspring that has enabled them to stamp their authority on the Australian turf?
“First of all, they’re just good horses,” says Downes, who can be forgiven for stating the obvious. “The conditions in Australia seem to suit them, Sea The Stars himself liked quick ground so they enjoy that and the fast pace of racing down there. It’s hard to pinpoint just one reason why but they’re good horses and he’s a good stallion and so, understandably, there are a few of them finding their way down to Australia.”
“He’s done well with a horse that Mrs Tsui herself bred – Shraooh – out of a Monsun horse we have here, Jumooh. Between him, Tall Ship and of course Fifty Stars there will certainly be a lot of keen eyes looking for them at the sales.”
Pat Downes | Image courtesy Racing Post Photo
Progeny of Sea The Stars knocked down to Australian purchasers at European bloodstock sales is already a developing trend and one that is likely set to continue. Another trend to look out for is the harmonious pairing between the son of Cape Cross and daughters or granddaughters of Sadler’s Wells (USA). This is perhaps unsurprising given the influence of the Champion sire on Urban Sea’s pedigree, not least as the sire of Sea The Stars’ half-brother Galileo.
“Of his five stakes runners down there,” says Downes, “two of them [Fifty Stars and Storm The Stars] are out of Sadler’s Wells mares and one [Tall Ship] out of a Barathea mare. It’s a really good cross. Sea The Stars and Sadler’s Wells are getting on very well together.”
Sea The Stars (Ire) | Image courtesy The Aga Khan Studs
And, if you did happen to have a Sadler’s Wells-line mare in your breeding shed who is willing to travel, there’s good news for breeders in Australia and New Zealand. While Sea The Stars is unlikely to be on the shuttle list any time soon he is still open for business on Southern Hemisphere time and the cost of travel may be reflected in a reduced stud fee.
“When he was first retiring there was a lot of interest from Southern Hemisphere farms about him travelling down there,” says Downes, “but I don’t think that was anything that Mrs Tsui ever seriously considered. But he’s here and if the demand is there [for Southern Hemisphere breeding] I’m sure she would be more than happy to facilitate that.
"He’s here and if the demand is there [for Southern Hemisphere breeding] I’m sure she would be more than happy to facilitate that." - Pat Downes
“He’s covered a few on Southern Hemisphere time but never any great numbers,” he continues. “I suppose in a lot of ways, the economics are difficult but Mrs Tsui would try to reflect the cost of travel in the price as opposed to in travel incentives or anything like that. For example, we were selling them at €100,000 (AU$182,998) Southern Hemisphere time when he was standing for €125,000 (AU$228,747).”
Sea The Stars (Ire) when racing | Image courtesy Scoop Dyga Photo
If the man himself is out of your price bracket though, then fear not. It seems the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Indeed, Sea The Stars’ influence in Australia has already been extended via one of his most promising new sons at stud, Lanwades Stud’s Sea The Moon. The runaway German Derby winner - incidentally bred on the same Monsun (Ger) cross as G1 Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh - has had three winners from three runners in Australia this season and is also available on Southern Hemisphere time.
In the meantime, our headline horse Fifty Stars looks set to continue his Autumn campaign in Sydney where he’s aiming for the G1 Doncaster Mile. Whether or not he can bring up a hattrick of wins in 2020 and put another Group 1 on the board for his influential sire, one thing is for sure - we haven’t seen the last of Sea The Stars’ impact in Australia yet.
