Sea The Stars joins the elite with an impressive Arc win
SEA THE STARS earned his place among racing’s immortals with a stunning victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
The John Oxx-trained colt produced a remarkable finish to became the first horse ever to add Arc success to his 2,000 Guineas and Epsom Derby triumphs.
Brilliantly ridden by veteran Mick Kinane, the three-year-old justified his 4-6 favouritism to claim a sixth successive Group One success.
Victory, however, looked unlikely at the mid-way point with Sea The Stars seemingly boxed in, but Kinane exploited a gap and Stars sprinted to the line in spectacular style.
Mick Channon’s Youmzain, ridden by Kieren Fallon, had to settle for a third straight second-place finish with Frankie Dettori’s Cavalryman (12-1) in third.
Proud but relieved Oxx said: “No horse in any race has more speed than he has and Mick wasn’t worried when he was a little bit back.
“He just does enough when he hits the front and will never win by very far. He is a great, great horse to keep on winning and to have won all of those races. I can’t quite believe it.
“We just go from race to race and we will see – he has done a lot.”
Kinane, 50, who enjoyed a third Arc success, added: “I ended up in a position I maybe didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to risk firing him up. He’s a phenomenal horse.”
Sea the Stars’ victory was not popular with everyone, however, with leading bookmakers estimating they lost over £1m after deciding to hold their overnight odds. He is now an 8-13 shot for the Breeders Cup Classic.