EBN: Sea The Moon routs Deutsches Derby field
The Markus Klug-trained Sea The Moon could not have been more impressive in the 145th running of the Gr.1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg yesterday, landing Germany’s most valuable prize in majestic fashion by eleven lengths.
He became the second Classic winner from the first crop of Champion Sea The Stars (Cape Cross), who also sired last month’s emphatic Gr.1 Oaks winner Taghrooda, and bookmakers have now shortened his price markedly to emulate his sire and win the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October. The anti-post favourite for this race since his victory in the main trial, the Gr.2 Union Rennen at Cologne, three weeks ago, he remains unbeaten for his owner/breeder Gestut Gorlsdorf, having won the Gr.3 Preis des Bankhauses Metzler in May and winning on debut last year.
Breaking from a wide draw, Christophe Soumillon, replacing regular jockey Andreas Helfenbein, who is regaining fitness following a bad fall two weeks ago, took him across to the rail and led early. Making all, he came across to race alone on the outside rail in the home straight and won unchallenged, and eased down, by a spectacular eleven lengths from Classic winner Lucky Lion (High Chaparral), who had pulled two and a half lengths clear of Open Your Heart (Samum). Eric (Tertullian), Wild Chief (Doyen) and Speedy Approach (New Approach) were split ,by a neck, short head and neck for fourth, fifth and sixth.
Soumillon said: “I was going so well that I found myself in front very early and just decided to stay there. When they came round that last bend I went to look for better ground on the outside of the track. I knew then he was going to win. “He’s a bit like Orfevre (dual Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up) in the sense that he’s a bit cheeky and is not an easy horse to ride, but I was well prepared for it and everything worked out well.”
The trainer added: “As the horse has a history of hanging, I told Christophe to let him go to the outside rail, if he felt that the horse was going that way and then ride a finish all by himself.”
Sea The Moon was offered at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, but failed to meet his reserve and was retained by his breeder. He was bred for the task, being a half-brother to the Listed-placed Sansiwa (Dansili), out of an unraced full-sister to two previous winners of the race the sires Samum and Schiaparelli, as well as Salve Regina, who won the Gr.1 Preis der Diana. Earlier on the same card, the Gr.3 Hamburg-Trophy, which was scheduled to be run the previous day but was abandoned due to bad weather, took place and went to last month’s Listed Sachsen Preis winner Bermuda Reef, who is trained by Peter Schiergen. The well-bred four-year-old colt by Oasis Dream, tracked Nausica Time (Dubawi), made his challenge a furlong and a half from home and led entering the final furlong to win readily by a length and a quarter from Vanishing Cupid (Galileo), who snatched second in the last 100 yards from Nausica Time.
