Centuries of the finest thoroughbred breeding came to this...
Extended reference to this modern-day paragon would fail to do total justice to arguably the greatest Irish-trained racehorse seen since the peerless Nijinsky 40 years ago. We can, however, wallow in all the glory Sea The Stars has provided us with, throughout his stellar year, the conclusion for which is unlikely to provide a true reflection of the merit of this magnificent champion.
The official handicappers, ratings gurus, together with the weights and measures and slide-rule analysts will eventually reach their respective assessment of this great colt, for whom I would not hesitate in nominating as "the outstanding horse" of the decade.
Since, and including, St Simon more than 120 years ago, there have been arguably no more than 20 truly great racehorses to have raced in Britain:
St Simon, Ormonde, Hyperion, Bahram, Tudor Minstrel, Ribot, Sea-Bird, Nijinsky, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef, Shergar and Dancing Brave are among this elite group, for which I would also include the likes of Alleged and Troy.
And so following a career which lasted 15 months, comprising nine races, eight of which resulted in victory, six of them at Group 1 level, becoming the first horse in 20 years to complete the Two Thousand Guineas/Derby double, and the first ever horse to complete the Guineas/Derby/Arc treble, the remarkable Sea The Stars has acquired recognition with the great horses of the turf, and will be remembered within the same reverence as any post-war champion.
Trained to perfection throughout by the master of Currabeg, John Oxx, and ridden on each occasion by ice-cool personified Michael Kinane, Sea The Stars has carved his name into the annuals of turf history, the sheer magnitude of his achievements making him "the horse of a lifetime", a marquee horse the likes of which we witness once every 20 years or so.
Of course, he was bred in the purple, by the Group 1 winning miler Cape Cross, out of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning mare Urban Sea, thus making him a half-brother to the duel Derby winner Galileo, and his victory last year as a two-year-old in the Beresford Stakes at The Curragh confirmed him one of Ireland's leading candidates for classic honours this year.
Six incredible months
But what a year...six Group 1s in succession, one every month from Newmarket's Guineas in May, through to the culmination of a stunning career at Longchamp in October and that monumental Arc victory.
It is rare indeed to see a horse capable of dominating his generation throughout the season, over different tracks and over a range of distances, and this brilliant colt indeed appeared to possess such outstanding superiority over his contemporaries that he may well have became the first Triple Crown winner since Nijinsky. This enhances hopes that we may yet see a horse in the near future - possibly from the progeny of Galileo or Montjeu - capable of accomplishing this imperious feat.
Sea The Stars appeared to be "the complete racehorse", flawless with seemingly no Achilles heel.
He had it all - the pedigree, the physique, a constitution and bomb-proof temperament like no other horse seen before.
No matter what was thrown at him on the racecourse - and Ballydoyle threw everything they had at him every single time - this breathtaking colt simply met each and every challenge with aplomb.
Indeed, no matter how fast and brutal the pace of a race, nothing appeared more comfortable than him at following it, and even when top-class rivals such as Delegator, Rip Van Winkle, Mastercraftsman and Fame And Glory looked him in the eye, this horse simply found another gear to break their hearts time and time again.
The bright yellow jacket and purple cap colours of owner Christopher Tsui became super-imposed upon the finest tracks and Europe's signature race-days as his great horse set landmark standard after standard...
At Newmarket in the Guineas he engaged in a duel with the impressive Craven Stakes winner Delegator.
He glided round Epsom's helter-skelter track and defeated no less than six Ballydoyle trained rivals, headed by the subsequent Irish Derby winner Fame And Glory.
In a vintage renewal of the Eclipse Stakes, the fastest Eclipse in 40 years, he defeated subsequent Group 1 winners Rip Van Winkle, Conduit and Jukebox Jury.
York next, and the Juddmonte International, Mastercraftsman the beaten challenger this time, as he was along with Fame And Glory at Leopardstown in the Irish Champion Stakes.
Then Paris, the French capital, Longchamp in the Bois de Boulogne, the world's richest turf race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
His dam, Urban Sea, had won Europe's most pivotal contest in 1993, and in emulating her, Sea The Stars put up the performance of his career, the performance of a lifetime, perhaps the most monumental victory by a British or Irish trained racehorse since Dancing Brave defeated that stellar line-up back in 1986.
French or English, in any language, Sea The Stars performance at Longchamp when so much went against him, was the stuff of turf legend.
Amoung the vanquished in Paris were Group 1 winners Youmzain, Cavalryman, Conduit, Dar Re Mi, Fame And Glory, Stacelita and Vision D'Etat, and together with the Eclipse Stakes, for me, these rank as his two greatest performances.
The Sandown contest in particular stands as one of the most definitive races seen throughout the last 20 years.
I consider the runner-up, Rip Van Winkle, to be one of the very best horses to have come out of Ballydoyle this decade, and as well as going onto win both the Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, I give him a great chance in the Breeders Cup Classic.
Conduit, third in the Eclipse, is a winner of the St Leger, Breeders Cup Turf, (which he may well win again) and the King George, while Jukebox Jury - sixth at Sandown - has gone on to win 3 subsequent Pattern races.
It is indeed remarkable how much Sea The Stars' form has been so markedly complemented by his vanquished opponents in their subsequent races.
But he has proved himself undoubtably a racehorse of era-defining brilliance, indisputably superior to all of his contemporaries, and most definitely the outstanding horse of this decade.
Legacy
Following huge speculation as to where Sea The Stars will stand as a stallion, so came the announcement at the end of October that the great horse will be taking up his future duties at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in County Kildare.
His potential covering of the Aga's brilliant unbeaten Arc winning filly, Zarkava, is the most exciting news imaginable for the bloodstock industry.
The Tsui family will continue to own the son of Cape Cross, and their decision in entrusting his future stud career at Gilltown is fabulous news for the Irish breeding industry and presents the sport with an exciting new legacy.
Having been raised at the Irish National Stud, and trained at Currabeg by John Oxx, it is only fitting that Sea The Stars will remain on Irish shores, and he will take up residence alongside other Aga Khan owned champions in Dalakhani and Azamour.
BBC News acknowledges the excitment around the match of Sea the Stars and Zarkava
His first-season fee is set at 85,000 euros, and he is likely to cover 120 hand-picked mares in his first season next Spring. Among that first book of mares will be the outstanding Zarkava, the best filly seen in many years.
The dazzling daughter of Zamindar was unbeaten throughout her seven-race career, and between them, Sea The Stars and Zarkava won 15 from a combined total of 16 races, including 11 victories at Group 1 level, comprising 4 European classics and successive renewals of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Sea The Stars first progeny will appear on the racecourse in 2013.
The Aga Khan apart, it is expected that other major bloodstock operations such as Juddmonte Farms, Cheveley Park, and Ballymacoll will be prominent supporters of Gilltown's new superstar stallion.
Gilltown was inherited by the present Aga Khan following the death of his father , Prince Aly Khan, in 1960, and amoung the high-profile stallions to have resided there in recent years, have been Darshaan, Doyoun, Daylami , Kahyasi, and Sinndar.
As it was on the racecourse for Sea The Stars throughout his stunning career, it would appear that the bloodstock world is very much his oyster.
A king of kings.....
The official handicappers, ratings gurus, together with the weights and measures and slide-rule analysts will eventually reach their respective assessment of this great colt, for whom I would not hesitate in nominating as "the outstanding horse" of the decade.
