RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:THERE HAS been a weight of expectation on Born To Sea for most of his short life to date and that is set to increase with John Oxx reporting that the half brother to Sea The Stars is on course to make his racing debut next month.
The son of Invincible Spirit and the legendary mare Urban Sea is already as low as 20-1 in ante-post betting for next year’s Epsom Derby and is a general 33-1 shot for the Newmarket Guineas, both races Sea The Stars won during his epic 2009 classic campaign.
Born To Sea is the last foal of Urban Sea, the Arc winner who also produced Europe’s top current stallion Galileo, as well as a number of other Group One winners. It’s perhaps the most prestigious pedigree in bloodstock and there is sure to be intense interest when Born To Sea eventually steps onto a racecourse.
He holds an entry in the Goffs National Stakes at the Curragh on September 10th but a training setback means that race is unlikely for him.
“He was due to start off at the Oaks meeting but he got a touch of sore shins the week before that and had to have a few weeks off. We’re looking now to running him in the first half of September, in a maiden probably. The National looks like coming too soon. But a horse like him had to be entered in it at the time,” Oxx said yesterday.
Sea The Stars made his 2008 debut on Irish Oaks day before winning a maiden in August and winding up his juvenile campaign with a Beresford Stakes success in late September. In 2009 Oxx prepared the colt to complete a momentous unbeaten Group One campaign that saw him win all six starts including a unique Guineas-Derby-Arc hat-trick.
“It is early days with this horse. He was quite precocious but we didn’t want to start him off too early and then he got sore shins,” said Oxx who isn’t getting carried away with the idea of having a Sea The Stars II through his hands.
“He’s working nicely and he’s a horse we like. But no one should be expecting him to be his brother,” he cautioned.
Oxx’s immediate focus though will be on Gowran Park’s fixture this evening where the enigmatic Kirinda runs in the Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes.
Niall McCullagh takes the ride on the Aga Khan-owned filly due to the sad death of Johnny Murtagh’s father Michael whose funeral takes place in Bohermeen, Co Meath today.
Murtagh received flak for his ride on Kirinda in a Curragh Group Three last time when she made up an eye-catching amount of late ground to chase home her stable companion Manieree.
“She’s a very hard puller and a difficult ride. Johnny had to keep her anchored the last day and she got a bit further back than ideal before finishing well although the ones in front were dying a little,” Oxx said yesterday.
“Johnny has ridden her on the racecourse this year but Niall has ridden her a good bit at home and knows what she is like. If we got any rain it would be a help as she likes soft ground,” he added.
Top-rated in today’s race is the 110 Kissable who hasn’t run since finishing third to Misty For Me in last year’s Moyglare. Look At Me was fourth in that Manieree race and could figure prominently while Bible Belt is upped from handicaps.
Kirinda though could be a good opportunity for McCullagh in what has already been a good season for the veteran jockey.
Fastidious can carry Sheikh Mohammed’s colours to success in the opening maiden while Moving Statue can make it third time lucky since his return to action in the apprentice handicap.
