Class prevails in Irish Oaks finish
Aidan O’Brien was shooting for his 40th Irish classic win in the Oaks, represented by multiple runners, but Newmarket mentor William Haggas denied him of the honour when his filly Sea Of Class overpowered O’Brien’s second string, Forever Together (Galileo), earlier winner of the Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Epsom, close to home after coming from last, prevailing by a neck under an inspired ride by James Doyle.
Mary Tudor (Dawn Approach) was another length and a half back in third place with O’Brien’s odds – on favourite Magic Wand (Galileo) almost ten lengths back in fifth .
A very late (May 23) foal, Sea of Class did not race as a two-year-old, starting off this season with a second over a mile at Newmarket before taking two Listed races which encouraged punters to install her as second favourite for the Irish Oaks at only her fourth start.
Conceived and foaled in Ireland, Sea of Class was bred by Italy’s Razza del Velino from that stud’s remarkable producer Holy Moon (Hernando), already dam of three successive winners of the Oaks d’Italia (Gr 2, 2200m).
Sea Of Class was produced under a foal share arrangement with Sunderland Holdings Ltd, the company of mother and son Ling and Christopher Tsui, owner/breeders of her sire Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) who now race the Irish Oaks winner after buying out Razza del Velino when the filly was offered at Tattersalls December Yearling Sale where she purchased for 170,000 guineas by McKeever Bloodstock.
For Sea Of Class’s sire Sea The Stars the 2018 Irish Oaks gave him his fourth European classic winner after the filly Taghrooda, Sea The Moon and Harzand among 47 stakes winners from six crops of racing age since he retired in 2010 to the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud in Ireland.
Taghrooda began her sire’s classic collection by winning the Oaks at Epsom in impressive style in 2014, later adding the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m4f) to her record while Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars) captured the 2014 Deutsches Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) then the Aga Khan’s Harzand won the Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Epsom in 2016 before going on to annex the Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f).
Other Group 1 winners for Sea The Stars are Vazira, Zelzal, Cloth of Stars, Mekhtaal and the 2018 Ascot Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m 4f) victor Stradivarius.
Sea The Stars (2006) is regarded as one of the best racehorses seen in Europe this century, attracting a Timeform rating of 140 when unbeaten as a three-year-old, taking six straight Group 1 events, the 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m), the Derby, the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f), the International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f), the Irish Champion Stakes (1m 2f) and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).
This half-brother to champion sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) early in his stud career had much smaller crops than Galileo adding merit to his stud record.
Holy Moon (Hernando), the stoutly bred dam of Sea of Class, was a stakes winner in Italy and all nine of her foals to race are winners, five of them stakes winners, with another two stakes placed.
She produced three successive winners of the Oaks d’Italia in Cherry Collect (Oratorio), Charity Line (Manduro) and Final Score (Dylan Thomas) so it does not surprise to learn several members of this excellent family are now resident in Japan having been astutely acquired by the Yoshida family.
Also from the female line of Sea of Class are an earlier Oaks d’Italia (Gr 1, 2200m) winner, Bright Generation (Rainbow Quest), successful young French stallion Dabirism (Hat Trick) and stakes winner Nonoalca (Nonoalco), a classic placegetter.
Sea of Class’s dam Holy Moon is inbred 3m x 3m to champion Nijinsky (Northern Dancer) while Sea of Class herself is linebred 3f x 4f to influential sire Miswaki (Mr. Prospector) with a 5f x 5m double of speed sire Balidar (Will Somers).