Sea The Stars and Sir Michael Stoute were recently inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame.
An independent panel of industry experts selected the two inductees, and a presentation will be held at the Qipco Guineas Festival at Newmarket on Saturday to commemorate the occasion.
Sir Michael Stoute is the first active trainer to receive the honor, and he is only the third overall, joining Vincent O’Brien and Sir Henry Cecil.
Stoute has been a ten-time champion Flat trainer and has trained over 4,000 winners in Britain since 1972. He has had six Derby victories, including Shergar’s record-breaking 10-length win in 1981 and Workforce’s record-breaking time in 2010. Last season, Stoute celebrated his most recent Derby success as Desert Crown won at Epsom.
Stoute also holds the record for the most Royal Ascot winners, with 82 to his name. He has trained more winners of prestigious prizes such as the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (six), Juddmonte International (six), Eclipse (six), Lockinge (eight), Falmouth Stakes (six), and Yorkshire Oaks (nine). He has also trained Estimate, who won the Gold Cup in 2013 for the late Queen.
“I am very flattered and most grateful to have been inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame. Of course, it has only been made possible by good horses, talented and dedicated staff, and loyal owners,” said the Freemason Lodge handler.
“To be inducted into the Hall of Fame and joining Vincent O’Brien, who was my hero and probably the greatest trainer that has ever lived, and Henry Cecil, who was also a very good friend. I’m very, very grateful.
“You never forget your first Derby winner. Shergar had won his Derby trials in outstanding fashion. So he was odds on, he was expected to win, we expected him to win, but it was still a great thrill. I think he won by about ten lengths and (Walter) Swinburn was pulling him up by the last furlong.”
Sea The Stars was a phenomenal racehorse trained by John Oxx who won eight out of nine races and earned nearly £4.5 million in prize money. As a three-year-old, he won six consecutive Group One races, including back-to-back victories in the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, followed by wins in the Eclipse, the Juddmonte International, the Irish Champion Stakes, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Sea The Stars’ second career as a stud has been just as successful, with the 17-year-old siring a host of top-class performers such as Baaeed, Stradivarius, Crystal Ocean, and Harzand.
The Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame is a celebration of the greatest horses, jockeys, and trainers in the history of British horse racing. The induction of Sir Michael Stoute and Sea The Stars is a testament to their remarkable achievements and contributions to the sport.
Mick Kinane, who was ever present in the saddle during Sea The Stars’ racing career, said: “The first time I rode him, he was the first horse I sat on that morning. I turned him in and did a half speed back, I popped off him and said ‘This fella finds going quick very easy, he’s a beauty’. That’s exactly what I said, the first time I sat on him.”
If you want you quality horse racing tips sent to you daily then look no further and start your 14-day trial of Ron Williams Racing horse racing tipster service.
