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Sea the Stars wins Arc for Oxx, Kinane

February 17, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Fame and Glory, winner of this year’s Irish Derby, was a well-beaten sixth.
The Arc made for Sea the Stars’ sixth Group 1 victory of 2009. He now has victories from eight of his nine career starts. His only defeat came his first time out, in July of last year at The Curragh, where he finished fourth.
Naturally, the topic of future engagements for Sea the Stars is a hot one. Trainer John Oxx deferred speculation of a possible trip to the U.S. for the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup for another time.
“We will let the dust settle and now is not the time to make a decision,” Oxx said. “We will see how the horse is and make a decision. To have got as far as the Arc is a lot to be thankful for.” Oxx, showing the strain of shouldering great expectations, also expressed relief that his charge has come through as splendidly as he has and that the sooner the final chapter is written the better.
Kinane also suggested that maybe the bloom is about to come off the rose.
“His coat has gone and he has got hairy,” Kinane said of Sea the Stars, not Oxx. “He got warm today as he is getting his winter rug on.”
Sea the Stars is owned by Christopher Tsui, a resident of Hong Kong.
This was the second Arc win for County Kildare’s Oxx, who trained Sinndar to take the 2000 running, and the third for Kinane, who previously prevailed on Carroll House in 1989 and Montjeu in 1999.
COLLINS AND DOOLEY COMBINE FOR TWO
Trainer Michael Collins and jockey Clifford Dooley teamed up to win two races at Suffolk Downs last week. They copped Monday’s ninth race with Bankin Cash, a 6-year-old gelding they’d had much success with last year. Bankin Cash led every step of the way in this sprint for $4,000 claimers and paid $6.00 to win. Then, in Tuesday’s eighth race, the duo scored with Masterson and Scafidi’s Winning Image, a 2-year-old filly that is now 2-for-2 after an easy 6-length score against allowance foes. She returned $4.00 to win.
Everybody would like to have their own personal money tree to shake. Sligo native John Haran doesn’t have quite that, but Hawthorne Race Course is the next best thing. Hawthorne’s fall meet began last Thursday with Haran’s Out of the Mood winning the first race. Kept under wraps since June, Out of the Mood had won four of six previous tries at Hawthorne and wore down the pacesetter in deep stretch for a 2-length victory under Inez Karlsson that paid $6.80 to win. Frank Kirby trains Out of the Mood for Haran.
Pat Gallagher sent out a pair of winners during the opening week of the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita. He brought Exquisite back from a 6-month layoff to take Thursday’s seventh race, a second-level allowance race at a mile on the lawn. The 5-year-old New Zealand-bred mare rallied under Alex Solis to get up by a length and pay $15.40 to win.
Solis also came from well out of it on Playa Bonita in Sunday’s fourth race for Gallagher’s second win. The 3-year-old filly was making her third career start and she surged late to win by three-quarters of a length in this maiden special weight affair. She returned $19.00 to win.

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