Sea Bird II
Encyclopedia
Sea Bird II is considered by many to be the greatest post-war Europe
an flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: the Epsom Derby
and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
.
textile
manufacturer Jean Ternynck, he was by the French Derby
runner-up Dan Cupid, and trained, like his sire, in France
by Etienne Pollet. None of his five immediate dams ever won a flat race.
). He met with the only defeat of his career in the Grand Critérium
when second to his stablemate Grey Dawn
.
As a three-year-old he won all five races he contested, starting with an effortless three lengths win in the Prix Greffulhe
, followed by a six lengths romp over Diatome
in the Prix Lupin
. Then came a devastating run in the Epsom Derby
. Starting at generous odds of 7/4, he won on the bridle by an easy two lengths from Meadow Court
, who went on to win the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a victory that marked him out as one of the very best Derby winners in memory.
Sea Bird II had his preparatory race for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
, which he won by two and a half lengths. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, he faced a very strong field, including Meadow Court, Preakness
winner Tom Rolfe
, French Derby winner Reliance, and Russian Derby winner Anilin. Starting at odds of 6/5, Sea Bird II won easily, despite veering across the track with jockey Pat Glennon
patting him down the neck in the final 100 yards, by six lengths (though photographs of the finish show it to have been closer to four and a half lengths) from Reliance. Five lengths further back in third was Diatome, who would go on to win the Washington, D.C. International; fifth was the Soviet runner Anilin, and sixth was Tom Rolfe
.
in Kentucky. Among Sea Bird II's progeny were the dual French classic and 1974 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning mare Allez France
(who had a Timeform rating of 136, making her still, according to that publication, the highest ever rated middle distance racemare); the 1974 Preakness
and Belmont Stakes
winner Little Current
; the Champion Hurdle
winner Sea Pigeon
; and Gyr, second in the 1970 Epsom Derby behind the English Triple Crown
winner Nijinsky II
. Sea Bird II sired the dams of King's Swan
, who was known as the "King of Aqueduct
", Miss Oceana
, a millionaire in racing who sold as a broodmare for a world record
US$7 million, and the half brothers Assert, the French Derby and Irish Derby winner, and Bikala, who won the French Derby. He was also the grandsire (through his son Arctic Tern) of the French Derby winner Bering.
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...
an flat racehorse. His Timeform rating of 145 is still the highest ever flat figure awarded by that publication. Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races: 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...
and 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...
.
Background
Owned and bred at the stables of LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
manufacturer Jean Ternynck, he was by the French Derby
Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
runner-up Dan Cupid, and trained, like his sire, in France
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...
by Etienne Pollet. None of his five immediate dams ever won a flat race.
Racing career
He had just three races as a two-year-old, winning two (including the Critérium de Maisons-LaffitteCritérium de Maisons-Laffitte
The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.-History:The event was established in...
). He met with the only defeat of his career in the Grand Critérium
Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère
The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early October.It is the oldest and most prestigious race in France...
when second to his stablemate Grey Dawn
Grey Dawn II
Grey Dawn was an French Thoroughbred Champion racehorse who was the only horse to ever beat the great Sea Bird. Grey Dawn was bred and raced by American Gertrude Widener, a member by marriage of the prominent racing Widener family...
.
As a three-year-old he won all five races he contested, starting with an effortless three lengths win in the Prix Greffulhe
Prix Greffulhe
The Prix Greffulhe is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in May.-History:...
, followed by a six lengths romp over Diatome
Diatome
Diatome was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse owned and bred by the French banker, Baron Guy de Rothschild.A descendant of Prince Palatine, Diatome won important races in France but had the bad luck of being foaled the same year as superstars Sea Bird and Reliance. He finished second to...
in the Prix Lupin
Prix Lupin
The Prix Lupin was a Group 1 flat horse race in France which was open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It was run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it was scheduled to take place each year in May....
. Then came a devastating run in 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...
. Starting at generous odds of 7/4, he won on the bridle by an easy two lengths from Meadow Court
Meadow Court
Meadow Court was a British Thoroughbred racehorse.-Background:He was bred by the American heiress Elisabeth Ireland Poe who owned Shawnee Farm in Harrodsburg, Kentucky as well as a racing and breeding operation in Ireland. Meadow Court was sired by Court Harwell, and out of the mare Meadow Music...
, who went on to win the Irish Derby and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a victory that marked him out as one of the very best Derby winners in memory.
Sea Bird II had his preparatory race for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud
The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June.-History:...
, which he won by two and a half lengths. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, he faced a very strong field, including Meadow Court, Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
winner Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe
The racehorse Tom Rolfe was one of the best American sons of the great racehorse and sire Ribot. His dam was Pocahontas, from whom he takes his name...
, French Derby winner Reliance, and Russian Derby winner Anilin. Starting at odds of 6/5, Sea Bird II won easily, despite veering across the track with jockey Pat Glennon
Pat Glennon
Pat Glennon was an Australian jockey raised in the Ascot Vale area in Melbourne, not far from the Flemington Racecourse...
patting him down the neck in the final 100 yards, by six lengths (though photographs of the finish show it to have been closer to four and a half lengths) from Reliance. Five lengths further back in third was Diatome, who would go on to win the Washington, D.C. International; fifth was the Soviet runner Anilin, and sixth was Tom Rolfe
Tom Rolfe
The racehorse Tom Rolfe was one of the best American sons of the great racehorse and sire Ribot. His dam was Pocahontas, from whom he takes his name...
.
Stud career
Prior to the running of his final race, the American breeder John W. Galbreath paid owner Jean Ternynck a reported $1,350,000 to lease Sea Bird II for five years' stud duty at his Darby Dan FarmDarby Dan Farm
Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath , it was expanded from an original farm into a 4,000...
in Kentucky. Among Sea Bird II's progeny were the dual French classic and 1974 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning mare Allez France
Allez France
Allez France was a French Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse who was the first filly in Thoroughbred horse racing history to earn $1 million....
(who had a Timeform rating of 136, making her still, according to that publication, the highest ever rated middle distance racemare); the 1974 Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
and Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
winner Little Current
Little Current (horse)
Little Current was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the final two legs of the 1974 U.S. Triple Crown.-Background:Owned and bred by John W...
; the Champion Hurdle
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online sportsbook StanJames.com, the race is now known as the Stan James Champion Hurdle...
winner Sea Pigeon
Sea Pigeon
Sea Pigeon was a racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing.As a son of the great Derby winner Sea Bird II, Sea Pigeon was bred to be a high class horse on the flat, but his efforts as a three-year-old were slightly lacklustre - trained by Jeremy Tree, he ran in the 1973 Epsom...
; and Gyr, second in the 1970 Epsom Derby behind the English Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
winner Nijinsky II
Nijinsky II
The racehorse Nijinsky was one of the greatest horses in Thoroughbred horse-racing history. He won the U.K. Triple Crown of racing. Retired to stud he became the Leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland and the Leading broodmare sire in North America.He was bred at E. P...
. Sea Bird II sired the dams of King's Swan
King's Swan
King's Swan was an American Thoroughbred racehorse nicknamed "The King of Aqueduct" who was so popular with New York City area fans that on his retirement from racing at age ten, he was honored with a retirement ceremony at Aqueduct Racetrack....
, who was known as the "King of Aqueduct
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
", Miss Oceana
Miss Oceana
Miss Oceana was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won six Grade 1 stakes during her racing career and was sold for a World Record price as a broodmare....
, a millionaire in racing who sold as a broodmare for a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
US$7 million, and the half brothers Assert, the French Derby and Irish Derby winner, and Bikala, who won the French Derby. He was also the grandsire (through his son Arctic Tern) of the French Derby winner Bering.