Urban Sea
Encyclopedia
Urban Sea 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.
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 FF
280,000 (approximately US$50,000).
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.
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. 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 . 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.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racemare
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
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
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
winners, namely Galileo
Galileo (horse)
Galileo is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is best known for winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001 and for his rivalry with the Godolphin champion Fantastic Light...
and Sea the Stars
Sea the Stars
Sea The Stars is a champion Irish Thoroughbred colt racehorse. Regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, he is best known for winning the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, - the first colt to accomplish this treble since 1989 champion Nashwan - the...
. None have produced three winners of this race.
Bred by Paul de Moussac's Marystead Farm, she was by Miswaki
Miswaki
Miswaki was an American bred Thoroughbred racehorse who was a Group 1 winner in France as well as a stakes race winner in the United States...
, a son of the Leading sire in North America
Leading sire in North America
The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prizemoney won by the sire's progeny during the year...
, Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
, her dam was Marystead's mare
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
, Allegretta by Lombard. Miswaki raced in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and won the 1980 Grade 1 Prix de la Salamandre
Prix de la Salamandre
The Prix de la Salamandre was a Group 1 flat horse race in France which was open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1872, and it was...
.
French trainer Jean Lesbordes conditioned a small stable of Thoroughbreds in France for Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
businessman David Tsui and in 1990 he purchased Urban Sea at the Deauville yearling sale
Arqana
Arqana is a European auction house that operates horse auctions including the Ventes de Deauville, one of the world's largest auctions for thoroughbred yearlings held in August of each year in Deauville, France....
on behalf of Tsui for the bargain price of FF
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
280,000 (approximately US$50,000).
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 OneGroup One
Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...
races, finishing sixth in the Prix de Diane
Prix de Diane
The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
and third in the Prix Vermeille
Prix Vermeille
The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1897, and it...
. Well traveled, her handlers shipped her to Düsseldorf, Germany where she finished third in the Arag Preis (German 1000 Guineas). Sent to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in the fall to compete in races for fillies and mares, at Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a Canadian racetrack for Thoroughbred horse races located at 555 Rexdale Blvd. in the city of Toronto, Ontario. It is the only horseracing track in North America which stages, or is capable of staging, thoroughbred and standardbred horseracing programs on the same day...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Urban Sea ran second to fellow French horse Hatoof
Hatoof
Hatoof is a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who competed internationally out of a base in Chantilly, France under trainer Criquette Head for owner Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Racing at age 2 in France, Hatoof started three times, winning once and placing second on two occasions...
in the 1992 E. P. Taylor Stakes
E. P. Taylor Stakes
The E. P. Taylor Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race for fillies and mares held annually since 1956 in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario run on the and the E. P. Taylor turf course at a distance of 1¼ miles....
. At Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, she finished last in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes
Yellow Ribbon Stakes
The Yellow Ribbon Stakes is a Grade I race for thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three-years-old and upwards. It is raced during the Oak Tree Racing Association meeting at Santa Anita Park in late September / early October. It is a major prep race for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and is...
.
Urban Sea began her 1993 campaign in March with a win in the Prix Exbury
Prix Exbury
The Prix Exbury is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in March.-History:...
. She then traveled to Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in April where she finished sixth in the Hong Kong Cup
Hong Kong Cup
The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December....
. Back home in France, she was fifth in the Prix Jean de Chaudenay
Prix Jean de Chaudenay
The Prix Jean de Chaudenay was a Group 2 flat horse race in France which was open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It was run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in May or June....
. After earning a second place result in the Prince of Wales's Stakes
Prince of Wales's Stakes
The Prince of Wales's Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
in England, she won a French listed race in July then in August the Prix Gontaut-Biron
Prix Gontaut-Biron
The Prix Gontaut-Biron is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.-History:...
. 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
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
. 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
Yves Saint-Martin
Yves Saint-Martin is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history....
.
Following her Arc victory, at the end of November Urban Sea was invited to compete in the Japan Cup
Japan Cup
The is the most prestigious horse race run in Japan. It is contested at the end of November at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters over the grass. With a purse of ¥476 million , the Japan Cup is one of the richest races in the world.The Japan Cup is an invitational event...
at Tokyo Racecourse
Tokyo Racecourse
is located in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1933 for horse racing, it is considered the "racecourse of racecourses" in Japanese horseracing. It has 13,750 seats, with a capacity of 223,000....
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
Prix d'Harcourt
The Prix d'Harcourt is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.-History:...
. She finished third in June's Prix Ganay
Prix Ganay
The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May....
then in what proved to be her last race, she ran fourth in the Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 in oder that racehorses can be trained without interference. It is open to users such as ramblers,...
in England. A fetlock injury ended her racing career.
Stud record
Owner David Tsui sent Urban Sea to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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
Gallinule Stakes
The Gallinule Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
. Her 1997 filly, by Lammtarra
Lammtarra
Lammtarra was an undefeated Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Group One races in 1995 and was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champion Colt...
, 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
Coolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, South Tipperary in Ireland, is the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses. It was established in 1975....
, her owner next bred Urban Sea to Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
. The resulting colt was named Galileo
Galileo (horse)
Galileo is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is best known for winning the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2001 and for his rivalry with the Godolphin champion Fantastic Light...
and became Sadler's Wells first offspring to win the Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
. Galileo also won the Irish Derby
Irish Derby Stakes
The Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.It is Ireland's equivalent of the Epsom Derby,...
and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and was voted European Champion Three-Year-Old
Cartier Racing Award
The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier jewelers. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races plus the votes cast by British racing journalists and readers of the Racing Post and Daily Telegraph newspapers.Eight...
. Bred again to Sadler's Wells, in 1999, Urban Sea produced Black Sam Bellamy, a winner of the 2002 Gran Premio del Jockey Club
Gran Premio del Jockey Club
The Gran Premio del Jockey Club is a Group 1 flat horse race in Italy which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at San Siro, Milan, over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.Past winners of the event include Tenerani and...
and the 2003 Tattersalls Gold Cup
Tattersalls Gold Cup
The Tattersalls Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 110 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May....
. Her 2000 colt, also by Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
, was named Atticus but never raced. In 2001, she was again bred to Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells (horse)
Sadler's Wells was a Thoroughbred racehorse that was later a leading sire in France, Great Britain & Ireland and North America during the 1990s. He was foaled in 1981 in the United States, but achieved most of his racing and breeding fame in Europe....
, and produced a filly named All Too Beautiful, who won a Group 3 race, and was second in the Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
.
Urban Sea was bred to Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway (horse)
Giant's Causeway is a Kentucky-bred thoroughbred racehorse who competed primarily in Europe. In 2000, he won five straight Group One races. His performance that year earned him European Horse of the Year honors....
and in 2002 foaled a filly named My Typhoon
My Typhoon
My Typhoon is an American Thoroughbred racehorse whom the NTRA calls "one of the world's best-bred horses."Bred in Ireland by David Tsui's Sunderland Holdings, she was sired by Giant's Causeway, a son of Storm Cat whose stud fee in 2006 became the highest in the world at $500,000...
who set a then-record price for a filly foal of US$2,955,000 when sold in December at the Tattersalls Sale
Tattersalls
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...
to Live Oak Stud of Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
. My Typhoon has won several American stakes races and earned her first Grade 1
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
win in the 2007 Diana Handicap
Diana Handicap
The Diana Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. Named for the mythological goddess Diana, the race is run each year at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Inaugurated in 1939, it is open to fillies and mares age three and up willing to race the one and one-eighth miles on...
at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
.
Bred to the Shadwell Stud
Shadwell Racing
Shadwell Racing is the Thoroughbred horse racing operations of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.Introduced to Thoroughbred flat racing while a student in the United Kingdom, Sheikh Hamdan established his first racing stable there in 1981...
stallion, Green Desert
Green Desert (horse)
Green Desert is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire.Currently standing at Shadwell Stud, Green Desert is the sire of four Champion Sprinters and seventy-two individual Stakes winners...
, Urban Sea's 2005 foal was named Sea's Legacy. The colt was in training with John Oxx
John Oxx
John M. Oxx is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. His stables are located on "The Curragh" of Kildare, the stables are named Currabeg Stables. His father, John Oxx Sr., was also a very successful trainer who won eight Irish classics and it was the younger Oxx's ambition to follow in his...
, but did not race. The colt was sold to Hamed Alattiyah for 10000 Guineas at the 2008 Tattersalls
Tattersalls
Tattersalls is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1766 by Richard Tattersall , who had been stud groom to the second Duke of Kingston. The first premises occupied were near Hyde Park Corner, in what was then the outskirts of London...
Autumn Horses in Training Sale. The cross with Green Desert
Green Desert (horse)
Green Desert is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire.Currently standing at Shadwell Stud, Green Desert is the sire of four Champion Sprinters and seventy-two individual Stakes winners...
has been her least successful. Her 2004 filly by Green Desert
Green Desert (horse)
Green Desert is a retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire.Currently standing at Shadwell Stud, Green Desert is the sire of four Champion Sprinters and seventy-two individual Stakes winners...
, named Cherry Hinton, did not win but was second in a Group 3 race, and fifth in the Oaks
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
.
Urban Sea's 2006 colt foal Sea the Stars
Sea the Stars
Sea The Stars is a champion Irish Thoroughbred colt racehorse. Regarded by many as one of the greatest racehorses of all time, he is best known for winning the 2,000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, - the first colt to accomplish this treble since 1989 champion Nashwan - the...
by Cape Cross
Cape Cross (horse)
Cape Cross is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and Celebration Mile...
, trained by John Oxx
John Oxx
John M. Oxx is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. His stables are located on "The Curragh" of Kildare, the stables are named Currabeg Stables. His father, John Oxx Sr., was also a very successful trainer who won eight Irish classics and it was the younger Oxx's ambition to follow in his...
, won the Group 1 2000 Guineas Stakes at the Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse
The town of Newmarket, in Suffolk, England, is the headquarters of British horseracing, home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations. Newmarket Racecourse has two courses - the Rowley Mile Course and the July Course. Both are wide, galloping...
and the Group 1 Epsom Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
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
International Stakes
The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....
, Irish Champion Stakes
Irish Champion Stakes
The Irish Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Leopardstown over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1976, and...
and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
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 . Her last foal has now been named Born To Sea and is in training with John Oxx
John Oxx
John M. Oxx is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. His stables are located on "The Curragh" of Kildare, the stables are named Currabeg Stables. His father, John Oxx Sr., was also a very successful trainer who won eight Irish classics and it was the younger Oxx's ambition to follow in his...
. 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.