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The victory of Sea The Stars in the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes in England on Saturday has given another significant boost to the Stoney Bridge stallion Great Britain.
Great Britain, who stands at Stoney Bridge Waikato for $6,500 +GST, is a full brother to Sea The Stars' sire, the multiple Group 1-producing stallion Cape Cross.
Cape Cross made a lasting impact from his brief stud career in New Zealand, leaving behind five Group 1 winners, among them the great mare Seachange, winner of six Group 1 contests, as well as the top-class performers Able One, Gaze, Kindacross, and Mikki Street.
Cape Cross, also responsible for the dual Oaks and multiple Group 1 winner Ouija Board in Europe, is enjoying a fantastic season in the northern hemisphere with six stakes performers besides Sea The Stars representing him during the current season.
The Eclipse was a third Group 1 victory of the year for Sea The Stars – adding to his victory in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes in Ireland last season - who became the first horse since the great Nashwan in 1989 to land the treble of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby, and the 2200m Eclipse Stakes. The only other horse to complete the treble as three-year-old in the last 50 years was the great Mill Reef.
Sea The Stars, a half-brother to the champion European stallion Galileo as well as six other Group 1 performers, is now likely to target the prestigious Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the end of the month, before heading to the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes in September.
Great Britain, whose best racecourse result came when he defeated six stakes performers in a competitive Listed sprint in Dubai, is a son of the champion sprinter Green Desert.
Great Britain hails from an outstanding family, being out of the champion Ahonoora mare Park Appeal. He is a half-brother to the dams of smart sire Diktat and the young stallion Iffraaj, while the Irish oaks heroine Alydaress and the 1,000 Guineas winners Shadayid and Russian Rhythm are also closely related.
Great Britain entered stud in New Zealand last year and his first foals are due this spring.
- Stoney Bridge Release
