Sea the Stars, acclaimed as the best horse in Europe this year, has been retired, a decision that removes the possibility of him running in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting on Nov. 7.
Sea the Stars won six Group 1 races, most recently the Arc de Triomphe earlier this month in Paris. He won 8 of 9 starts, all on turf. Had he come to the United States for the BC Classic, he would have been making his first start on a synthetic surface.
PARIS - Sea the Stars electrified Longchamp Racecourse on Sunday with his two-length victory in the $5.8 million Prix d l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, and now the question is: Will he come to the United States and run in the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita?
Since Sea the Stars won the Juddmonte International in August, trainer John Oxx has been mentioning the Breeders' Cup Classic as a season-ending possibility for the 3-year-old son of Cape Cross and 1993 Arc winner Urban Sea. Christopher Tsui, whose family bred and owns the horse, did not quash those hopes after the race Sunday.
PARIS - Sunday's Arc undercard at Longchamp provided a cornucopia of Group 1 winners for the Aga Khan. Fresh from a pair of Group 2 triumphs on Saturday, the titular head of 10 million Ishmaeli Muslims won four of the most important races on the French calendar on Sunday, including a win by Shalanaya in the $370,000 Prix de l'Opera.
PARIS - He came. He saw. He conquered.
Sea the Stars electrified Longchamp Racecourse on Sunday with an imperious display in the $5.8 million Prix d l'Arc de Triomphe.
In a performance that will be talked about as long as people argue over horses, Sea the Stars entered his name among the all-time greats with a two-length victory in Europe's championship race.
PARIS - There are signs in the sun and the stars that Sea the Stars will enter into the firmament of Thoroughbred legend at Longchamp on Sunday when victory in the $5.8 million Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe requires nothing more than a repetition of any of his previous five Group 1 victories this season.
PARIS - The winner of a competitive renewal of the five-furlong Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp on Sunday will automatically qualify for a spot in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, but a more important race on the Arc undercard, the Prix de l'Opera, may reveal more about possible Breeders' Cup runners at Santa Anita on Nov. 6 and 7.
At 1 1/4 miles, the Group 1, $373,000 Opera is an ideal prep for the Filly and Mare Turf. A half-dozen first-class fillies and mares are included in the 12-runner field, and any one of them could prevail without raising an eyebrow.
PARIS - Goldikova faces 13 opponents who will try to add luster to their modest records by finishing second to the world's best miler in the Group 1, $364,000 Prix de la Foret on Saturday, the first day of Longchamp's prestigious Arc Weekend.
Although Goldikova, a 4-year-old daughter of Anabaa, is cutting back to seven furlongs and has drawn wide in post 14, she should succeed in this preparation for a defense of her Breeders' Cup Mile title.
Meydan, the new racing facility under development in Dubai, has finished the installation of an artificial surface manufactured by Tapeta Footings on its 1 1/8-mile main track, the track announced on Thursday.
The sprawling racing facility, which also includes six restaurants, a marina, and an IMAX theater, is scheduled to open for its first live race card on Jan. 28. The racetrack will also host the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 27, the world's richest race.
Mastercraftsman will try to book his place alongside his stablemate Rip Van Winkle in the Breeders' Cup Classic lineup when he makes his synthetic-track debut Friday in the Group 3 Diamond Stakes at Dundalk.
However, this 1 1/4-mile and 150-yard contest is a Win And You're In event not for the Breeders' Cup Classic but for the Breeders' Cup Marathon, an anomaly explained by two factors. First, this was the race won last year by Muhannak before he shipped to California to win the Marathon. And, of course, the Marathon's distance has been extended to 1 3/4 miles since last year.
Rip Van Winkle is set to try and improve trainer Aidan O'Brien's 0-or-10 record in the Breeders' Cup Classic following a battling victory in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
The 8-13 odds-on favorite in a field of four runners, Rip Van Winkle was sent past the front-running Aqlaam with over five-sixteenths of the right-handed mile still to cover.
