Sea the Stars Should Live in the “Now” and Compete
By Nick Luck / 5:10 am, 10.07.09
Sea the Stars and connections in the winner’s enclosure (AP Photo)
You only have to read Fanny Salmon’s compelling account of Arc day to understand the impact a once-a-generation horse has on a big occasion. And, if I’m reading correctly, there was as much pleasure to be had in the build-up to the climactic moment as there was in the glorious denouement.
A great athlete has the capacity to enrich your life emotionally as well as financially. Two of my more hard-bitten, if not downright cynical, horseplaying colleagues were spotted eagerly snapping away with cell phones at Sea the Stars as he strolled nonchalantly around the Longchamp paddock.
You all know that racing has to work a whole lot harder than other sports to infringe on the zeitgeist — the front page of the Daily Telegraph, Britain’s biggest selling broadsheet, carried a monster image of Sea the Stars on Monday’s front page. A picture of a racehorse was dropped onto 814,000 doormats.
And now, just as we have scratched the surface of the public consciousness, some within our firmament want us to retreat whence we came and to send this magnificent horse into retirement.
“Should Sea The Stars go for the Breeders’ Cup Classic?” vox-pops the Racing Post. “The horse is too valuable to run at Santa Anita,” says Canadian Clare. “No, send him to stud,” says Jack. “No, he’s got nothing to prove,” “Absolutely not — just be grateful we’ve seen him,” “No. Everyone knows he’s far superior to any BC entry,” and so on, and so on.
My Channel 4 colleague Alistair Down adds the most grist to this mill. “Those who wish to see him in the Breeders’ Cup doubtless mean well (or have already booked) but on November 7 Sea The Stars should be pottering about the edge of the Curragh … and being brought off the treadmill on which he has been since the beginning of the year.”
Look, nobody wants to see this horse abused, but we have ultimate faith in John Oxx’s judgment on that score. If he is fine and well, please John, put him on that plane and, for the record, yes I have booked. I understand fully that Sea The Stars has nothing to prove, but also appreciate that his record will be in no way tarnished if he is defeated. I am not aware of Dancing Brave’s reputation taking a battering when beaten in the 1986 Breeders’ Cup; indeed, it is his name that has most often been evoked in the “Is this the greatest horse of all time?” debate.
One of the reasons for each successive victory proving sweeter than the last is the continued defiance of the growing fear that he might be beaten with each sterner task. It is this fear that heightens anticipation, thus making participation in the event more intoxicating.
We know for certain that 2010 will be without Sea The Stars. Anyone with a true passion for the sport cannot simply take comfort from the statistical and historical perfection of the campaign thus far. They have the opportunity for another fix, and they need to take it.
Would you rather watch the Breeders’ cup Classic with him or without him?
Tagged Blogs, Euro Luck, Europeans, International, Sea the Stars
I would love to see him in BC turf not classic they should’nt take the chance on the pro ride. SA just open with too many breakdowns. He’s too good to gamble with.
Posted by Lonnie / 8:43 am, 10/07/09
Winning championships in England (Epsom Derby), Ireland (Irish champion Stakes), France (Arc de Triomphe) and the United State (Breeders’ Cup Classic) would certainly put Sea The Stars in the Greatest Hores of All-Time argument, however a lose over the pro-ride at Sanat Anita would throw great caution to that argument.
Posted by mr.zoltanblack / 1:24 pm, 10/07/09
I’d love to see him when making my first trek to Santa Anita but I’m not keeping my fingers crossed. Regardless, the Classic looks stacked without Sea the Stars and Rachel Alexandra…Distaff is shaping up too with Icon Project and Music Note. The Turf looks weak but with good value…
Posted by LePierrot / 2:32 pm, 10/07/09
Breeders Cup is the closest thing horse racing has to a WORLD championship. Sea of Stars should come, run and compete against the best the world has to offer.
PS – Lonnie, you and everyone else that complains about synthetic surfaces are ancient. Evolve, and realize that racing is actively searching for ways to take the game into the 21st century. For better, and worse, this sport is steeped in tradition…and traditionalists. Don’t let opinions get in the way of facts, synths are safer than dirt.
Posted by Sir Steve / 10:30 pm, 10/07/09
Synths, dirt, turf. Blah, blah, blah.
I’ve never once heard the winning connections praise the surface they’ve won on in the winners circle. It’s only the losers grasping for excuses as they walk away.
1/2 of the fields in football are synthetic. 1/4 in baseball are. Just imagine if any off the teams that played the New England Patriots and lost told the media they lost due to the surface in their stadium. (WEAK!)
Posted by Tim / 10:36 pm, 10/07/09
Mr Zoltanblack, are you saying that a lose on proride is worse, reputation wise, than a lose on dirt? ie after last year, there should be no excuses on that score? If so, I think you have a point.
I think Sir Steve’s point about synths is bang on. Sure, racing on dirt can arguably offer a more compelling spectacle with more frequency, but this is, as you rightly say, an evolving development that had horse welfare at its core. If the sport is seen as unnecessarily unsafe, it will be seriously compromised in the long term.
Posted by Nick Luck / 6:18 am, 10/08/09
I would rather not see him. he would be even money. I could not bet on him and not against him either. The classic will have about 6 horses between 5-10/1 if he does not go.
Posted by Craig / 9:28 pm, 10/08/09
Horse has incredible turn of foot in the late going,maybenot a monster but a great Irish horse.When will we see the American horses travel 6-7 thousand miles and compete going the other way around.Probably never because then the class would really show.
Posted by steve t / 5:23 am, 10/11/09
The way the poly surface plays in Santa Anita it would be a cakewalk for Sea The Stars. There’s 10 million in Dubai and a new synthetic track coming in March. Methinks STS will be there. The BC could be a prep race for that one. A 5 million dollar prep race, LOL.
Posted by Harry / 6:20 pm, 10/11/09
What’s all this about downright cynical? Seriously, John Oxx has the power to breathe life into the Classic if he runs STS and if Zenyatta also shows up then so much the better. Sadly, I suspect that concerns about handing Coolmore the chance to laugh last with Rip Van Winkle might prove the key factor in the STS decision. That aside, a blog of fair quality.
Posted by Graham Cunningham / 2:39 pm, 10/12/09
If Sea The Stars runs in the Breeders’ Cup and loses, his record WILL be tarnished. It’s ridiculous to state otherwise. I also must say that you aren’t quite up on your racing history if you think that Dancing Brave’s reputation was not hurt by his Breeders’ Cup loss. It’s hard to believe your claim that Dancing Brave’s name “has most often been evoked in the ‘Is this the greatest horse of all time?’ debate. I don’t who you’re speaking with, but they’re much less than fully knowledgeable. I expected a better discussion from someone with your credentials.
Posted by Susan Cloos / 11:58 pm, 10/12/09
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About Nick Luck
Nick Luck has been broadcasting on horse racing since 2002 and has been the lead presenter for Racing UK since it began in May 2004, during which time he has anchored the channel's live outside broadcasts from the Derby, the Grand National and The Cheltenham Festival. Nick also works regularly on Channel Four Racing and for US network ESPN, where he drew high praise for his coverage of the Breeders' Cup. He was named Racing Broadcaster of the Year 2007 at the HWPA Derby Awards, having been nominated previously for Racing Broadcaster of the Year 2006.
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