Urban Sea
| Urban Sea | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Miswaki |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Allegretta |
| Damsire | Lombard |
| Sex | Filly |
| Foaled | 1989 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Marystead Farm |
| Owner | David Tsui |
| Trainer | Jean Lesbordes |
| Record | 23: 8-3-3 |
| Earnings | US$1,704,553 (equivalent) |
| Major wins | |
|
Prix Gontaut-Biron (1993) Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1993) |
|
| Awards | |
| Europe Champion Older Mare (1993) Ireland’s Broodmare of the Year (2001) England's Top Broodmare (2001) ITBA Outstanding Broodmare (2005) ITBA Special Achievement Award (2009) |
|
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
| Last updated on 31 July 2007 | |
Urban Sea (foaled 1989 in Kentucky, died 2 March 2009 at the Irish National Stud) was a French Thoroughbred racemare best known for winning France's most prestigious race in 1993 and for her importance as a world class broodmare. She is one of only two mares to ever produce two Epsom Derby winners, namely Galileo and Sea the Stars. None have produced three winners of this race.[1]
Bred by Paul de Moussac's Marystead Farm, she was by Miswaki, a son of the Leading sire in North America, Mr. Prospector, her dam was Marystead's mare, Allegretta by Lombard. Miswaki raced in Europe and won the 1980 Grade 1 Prix de la Salamandre.
French trainer Jean Lesbordes conditioned a small stable of Thoroughbreds in France for Hong Kong businessman David Tsui and in 1990 he purchased Urban Sea at the Deauville yearling sale on behalf of Tsui for the bargain price of FF280,000 (approximately US$50,000).
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[edit] Racing career
Winner of a maiden race at age two in 1991, the following year the three-year-old Urban Sea won two listed races in her seven starts, capturing the French Prix de la Seine at Longchamp Racecourse in May 1992 then the Challenge d'Or Piaget at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse. In June, Urban Sea ran in two Group One races, finishing sixth in the Prix de Diane and third in the Prix Vermeille. Well traveled, her handlers shipped her to Düsseldorf, Germany where she finished third in the Arag Preis (German 1000 Guineas). Sent to North America in the fall to compete in races for fillies and mares, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto Urban Sea ran second to fellow French horse Hatoof in the 1992 E. P. Taylor Stakes. At Santa Anita Park in California, she finished last in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes.
Urban Sea began her 1993 campaign in March with a win in the Prix Exbury. She then traveled to Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in April where she finished sixth in the Hong Kong Cup. Back home in France, she was fifth in the Prix Jean de Chaudenay. After earning a second place result in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England, she won a French listed race in July then in August the Prix Gontaut-Biron. In October, Urban Sea made it three in a row when she scored an upset win in France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In the process of defeating fourteen Group 1 winners, including males, she was ridden in the Arc by Eric Saint-Martin, son of legendary French jockey Yves Saint-Martin.
Following her Arc victory, at the end of November Urban Sea was invited to compete in the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse where she ran eighth.
Sent back to the track at age five, Urban Sea began her 1994 racing season in May with a win in the Prix d'Harcourt. She finished third in June's Prix Ganay then in what proved to be her last race, she ran fourth in the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs in England. A fetlock injury ended her racing career.
[edit] Stud record
Owner David Tsui sent Urban Sea to Ireland as a broodmare for his Sunderland Holdings where she became one of the world's most successful broodmares. Her first foal, by Bering, called Urban Ocean, born in 1996, won the 1999 Gallinule Stakes. Her 1997 filly, by Lammtarra, called Melikah was auctioned in 1998 for €1,500,000, the highest ever price paid for a yearling at the Deauville sales.
Working closely with the prominent Coolmore Stud, her owner next bred Urban Sea to Sadler's Wells. The resulting colt was named Galileo and became Sadler's Wells first offspring to win the Epsom Derby. Galileo also won the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and was voted European Champion Three-Year-Old. Bred again to Sadler's Wells, in 1999, Urban Sea produced Black Sam Bellamy, a winner of the 2002 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and the 2003 Tattersalls Gold Cup. Her 2000 colt, also by Sadler's Wells, was named Atticus but never raced. In 2001, she was again bred to Sadler's Wells, and produced a filly named All Too Beautiful, who won a Group 3 race, and was second in the Oaks.
Urban Sea was bred to Giant's Causeway and in 2002 foaled a filly named My Typhoon who set a then-record price for a filly foal of US$2,955,000 when sold in December at the Tattersalls Sale to Live Oak Stud of Ocala, Florida. My Typhoon has won several American stakes races and earned her first Grade 1 win in the 2007 Diana Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.
Bred to the Shadwell Stud stallion, Green Desert, Urban Sea's 2005 foal was named Sea's Legacy. The colt was in training with John Oxx, but did not race. The colt was sold to Hamed Alattiyah for 10000 Guineas at the 2008 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale[2]. The cross with Green Desert has been her least successful. Her 2004 filly by Green Desert, named Cherry Hinton, did not win but was second in a Group 3 race, and fifth in the Oaks.
Urban Sea's 2006 colt foal Sea the Stars by Cape Cross, trained by John Oxx, won the Group 1 2000 Guineas Stakes at the Newmarket Racecourse and the Group 1 Epsom Derby in 2009, being Urban Sea's fourth Gr.1 winner progeny. Sea The Stars went on to win the Group 1 Coral Eclipse Stakes, becoming only the 5th horse to complete the treble since 1900 and the 1st since Nashwan 20 years ago. Sea the Stars further added the International Stakes, Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to his resume, an unprecedented feat in the history of horseracing. Urban Sea also became only the second Arc de Triomphe winning mare to foal a winner of that race (Detroit - dam of Carnegie is the other)
In 2009, she delivered a colt by Invicible Spirit, but died on 2 Mar 2009 as a complication of foaling [3]. Her last foal has now been named Born To Sea and is in training with John Oxx. Born to Sea started for the first time on September 10, 2011, at the Curragh in the Blenheim Stakes (Listed) and came home the easy winner by a length and a half.
[edit] Tabulated pedigree
| Sire Miswaki |
Mr. Prospector | Raise a Native | Native Dancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise You | |||
| Gold Digger | Nashua | ||
| Sequence | |||
| Hopespringseternal | Buckpasser | Tom Fool | |
| Busanda | |||
| Rose Bower | Princequillo | ||
| Lea Lane | |||
| Dam Allegretta |
Lombard | Agio | Tantieme |
| Aralia | |||
| Promised Lady | Prince Chevalier | ||
| Belle Sauvage | |||
| Anatevka | Espresso | Acropolis | |
| Babylon | |||
| Almyra | Brikhahn | ||
| Alameda |
[edit] References
- ^ Racetrack Sires 2009, June/August, 2009, p.54
- ^ http://www.tattersalls.com/
- ^ http://www.racingpost.com/news/bloodstock/outstanding-broodmare-urban-sea-dies/
- Urban Sea at the Irish National Stud website (includes photo of Urban Sea and her 2005 foal, Sea's Legacy)
- Irish National Stud Stallion Brochure 2009 (includes photo of Urban Sea and her 2008 cover by Invincible Spirit)
