Sea The Star's rating is just not Right

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By Arsène ABITBOL - 16th Jan. 15.33 pm
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136 lbs...That's what Sea The Stars was given after his gliterring career...That is what was awarded 3 y.o who made history when he romped home in the 2,000 Guineas , The Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - video link -. To start with, he is the only one who has done this !

Secondly, he broke the track record in the Coral-sponsored Eclispe Stakes, completing the 10 f in 2'03''40... What else can handicappers expect ?? The horse beat what he was given to beat. He is smart, so he doesn't enjoy making too much and saves his gears and effort. That is his temper because he is smart. So much so, that when parading in the paddock on 4th October (Arc Day), many French jockeys said they had never ever seen such a cool horse.

Similarly to Zarkava who was given a dismal rating, Sea The Stars never dug further than 80 % of his capabilities. I am not making this up as his partner Mick Kinane spoke about 80 % ... Handicappers should have taken this into account...they might have, but certainly not enough..Anyhow, 136 lbs is just not right, and it is not a fair tribute to an exceptional thoroughbred of his calibre. Peintre Célèbre was rated 137 and I am curious to know if the handicapper at the time was the same because, make no mistake, The Wildenstein horse, was a fantastic racehorse and a great tribute to French racing (myself beign a French national) but he did not achieve what S.T.S achieved.