Tuesday 4 August 2020
Gilltown Stud stallion SEA THE STARS celebrated more classic success at the weekend thanks to his daughter Miss Yoda who was the stylish winner of the Preis der Diana, the German Oaks. Miss Yoda is a fourth classic filly for her sire, who already boasts Epsom Oaks heroine Taghrooda and Irish Oaks scorers Sea of Class and Star Catcher among his progeny, and she becomes the 14th Group 1 winner by SEA THE STARS.
Trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Miss Yoda made virtually all the running in the German Oaks, and after being briefly headed in the final straight, she found her stride and stayed on gamely to earn a fourth career victory. This was a second Stakes success for Miss Yoda, who lifted the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial in May. The filly was bred in Germany by Gestut Etzean and she is a daughter of Group victrix Momoni, by Sholokhov. Miss Yoda carries the colours of Georg von Opel after being purchased for 280,000€ by Blandford Bloodstock as a yearling at Baden Baden.
Miss Yoda's Classic victory was a highlight of a fantastic week for the Arc de Triomphe winning sire. SEA THE STARS son Stradivarius put up another brilliant performance to win the Group 1 Goodwood Cup for a fourth consecutive year for trainer John Gosden and jockey Frankie Dettori. The champion stayer will now be prepared for a new challenge, an attempt to emulate his father in the Arc.
SEA THE STARS could be very strongly represented in the French showpiece as he has another potential Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe candidate in Raabihah. The three-year-old filly returned to winning ways in fine style at Deauville on Saturday, proving to be a class above her rivals in the Group 3 Prix de Psyché. Jean-Claude Rouget will now aim the filly, who finished a close fourth in the Prix de Diane after being forced to race wide from an outside draw, for the Group 1 Prix Vermeille ahead of the Arc.
