Born To Sea impresses in Listed debut win

Sea The Stars’ half brother Born To Sea made a taking debut to win the Listed The Irish Field Blenheim Stakes at The Curragh today, subsequently earning varying quotes for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.

Born To Sea, backed from 6/1 in the morning into the eventual 5/2 favourite, travelled strongly throughout but was short of room after halfway.

However once jockey Johnny Murtagh switched the colt to the outer over a furlong out, the colt quickened well, getting to the front inside the final furlong. The son of Invincible Spirit eventually recorded a length and a half win over Pearl In The Sand

Winning trainer John Oxx, who famously guided Sea The Stars to his all conquering career, subsequently said "I did my best to tell everybody that he wasn't expected to win first time and not to be expecting too much!

“His brother (Sea The Stars) was beaten first time out and we don't send them out to win first time - it's about getting a nice experience. The first run is about education. To win a Listed race first time is pretty good.

“He's more precocious then his brother and could have been out earlier - as early as April. We deliberately waited with him until July when the plan was to run here on Oaks weekend but he got sore shins the week before the race.

"Here he is, much later than he should have been, and this wasn't an ideal day as he doesn't like the wind much. However, he has the ability to overcome these things and Johnny said the pace was slow and he did well to quicken off that pace. He won comfortably and was quite green, which is understandable.

A delighted Oxx then joked "he was supposed to win here in July and then come back for the National Stakes but that might be a bit quick turning him out again in half an hour!”

"There is the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown for him at the end of October and that would be his only other run this year. If he has some of the ability of his brother and is able to win something good along the way it will be great. But we are not expected him to be his brother all over again."

Ante-post bookmakers quickly reacted to the colt’s performance but were divided in their assessments. Paddy Powers cut Born To Sea to 6/1 for the 2,000 Guineas whereas Ladbrokes went 16/1 for the same race. Paddy Powers also cut the colt’s price to 14/1 (from 20s) for the Epsom Derby.

Born To Sea’s pedigree is itself worthy of an essay. Not only did his mother, Urban Sea, win the Prix De l’Arc but two of his half brothers, Galileo and Sea The Stars, have won Epsom Derbys. Each of his eight brothers and sisters (including Group 1 winners Black Sam Bellamy and My Typhoon) have also each gained blacktype.

Thomas Weekes