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Sea The Stars came through as the odds-on favorite in a four-horse field on Tuesday, firing on cue for a measured victory over Mastercraftsman in the $978,467 Juddmonte International Stakes (Eng-G1) at York.

The top horse in the most recent International Federation of Horse Racing Authority world rankings, Sea The Stars racked up his fourth consecutive Group 1 victory and sixth consecutive win overall for owner Christopher Tsui and trainer John Oxx.

The three-year-old Cape Cross (Ire) colt out of star performer and producer Urban Sea, by Miswaki, scared away all but three challengers, who all came from trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation.

Mastercraftsman was the serious rival after pairing victories in the Boylesports.com Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) and St. James’s Palace Stakes (Eng-G1) since finishing fifth to Sea The Stars in the Stanjames.com Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) on May 2.

Sea The Stars tracked from fourth while pacesetters Georgebernardshaw and Set Sail blazed away at a steady clip. Mastercraftsman made his move for the lead with a half-mile remaining under jockey Johnny Murtagh, and Sea The Stars and jockey Mick Kinane kept pace by deftly cutting between the fading duo.

Sea The Stars wore down Mastercraftsman from the outside and inched clear to win by one length. He completed 1 1/4 miles and 80 yards in a course-record 2:05.29 on good to firm ground.

“I asked him to go and quicken up between the two Ballydoyle pacemakers which was probably a bit of a risky maneuver, but I wanted to follow Johnny through,” Kinane said. “So I let him quicken up and then eased him down. Then Johnny quickened and found a couple of lengths and his horse has run a hell of a race. Just a combination of those things made it more difficult than maybe it should have been.”

Sea The Stars probably will move on to the Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-G1) on September 5 at Leopardstown for another Ballydoyle showdown with Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Ire-G1) winner Fame And Glory.

Sea The Stars defeated Fame And Glory in the Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) and skipped the Irish Derby because of soft turf. Ground conditions will be a major factor in his schedule for the rest of the year, including a bid to match his dam, Urban Sea, by winning the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) at Longchamp.

Oxx said last week that a start in the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, perhaps in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), could come into play if the weather disrupts Sea The Stars’ options in Europe.

Courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

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