Urban Sea

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Urban Sea


caption =
sire = Miswaki
grandsire = Mr. Prospector
dam = Allegretta
damsire = Lombard
sex = Filly
foaled = 1989
country = United States flagicon|USA
colour = Chestnut
breeder = Marystead Farm
owner = David Tsui
trainer = Jean Lesbordes
record = 23: 8-?-?
earnings = US$1,704,553 (equivalent)
race = Prix Gontaut-Biron (1993)
Prix Exbury (1993)
Prix d'Harcourt (1994)

French Classic Race wins:
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1993)
awards=
honours =
updated= July 31, 2007

Urban Sea (foaled 1989 in Kentucky) is a French Thoroughbred filly racehorse best known for winning France's most prestigious race in 1993 and for her importance as a world class broodmare.

Bred by Paul de Moussac's Marystead Farm, she was out of Marystead's own mare, Allegretta. Her sire was Miswaki, a son of the very influential 1987-88 Leading sire in North America, Mr. Prospector. Miswaki raced in Europe and won the 1980 Grade 1 Prix de la Salamandre.

French trainer Jean Lesbordes conditioned a small stable of Thoroughbreds in France for Hong Kong businessman David Tsui and in 1990 he purchased Urban Sea at the Deauville yearling sale on behalf of Tsui for the bargain price of FF280,000 (approximately US$50,000).

Racing career

Winner of a maiden race at age two in 1991, the following year the three-year-old Urban Sea won two listed races in her seven starts, capturing the French Prix de la Seine at Longchamp Racecourse in May 1992 then the Challenge d'Or Piaget at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse. In June, Urban Sea ran in two Group One races, finishing sixth in the Prix de Diane and third in the Prix Vermeille. Well traveled, her handlers shipped her to Düsseldorf, Germany where she finished third in the Arag Preis (German 1000 Guineas). Sent to North America in the fall to compete in races for fillies and mares, at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto Urban Sea ran second to fellow French horse Hatoof in the 1992 E. P. Taylor Stakes. At Santa Anita Park in California, she finished last in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes.

Urban Sea began her 1993 campaign in March with a win in the Prix Exbury. She then traveled to Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong in April where she finished sixth in the Hong Kong Cup. Back home in France, she was fifth in the Prix Jean de Chaudenay. After earning a second place result in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in England, she won a French listed race in July then in August the Prix Gontaut-Biron. In October, Urban Sea made it three in a row when she scored an upset win in France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In the process of defeating fourteen Group 1 winners, including males, she was ridden in the Arc by Eric Saint-Martin, son of legendary French jockey Yves Saint-Martin.

Following her Arc victory, at the end of November Urban Sea was invited to compete in the Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse where she ran eighth.

Sent back to the track at age five, Urban Sea began her 1994 racing season in May with a win in the Prix d'Harcourt. She finished third in June's Prix Ganay then in what proved to be her last race, she ran fourth in the Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs in England. A fetlock injury ended her racing career.

As a broodmare

Owner David Tsui sent Urban Sea to Ireland to stand as a broodmare for his Sunderland Holdings where she became one of the world's most successful broodmares. Her first foal, born in 1996, won the 1999 Gallinule Stakes and then bred to Lammtarra, Urban Sea produced a colt that was auctioned in 1998 for €1,500,000, the highest ever price paid for a yearling at the Deauville sales.

Working closely with the prominent Coolmore Stud, her owner next bred Urban Sea to Sadler's Wells. The resulting colt was named Galileo and became Sadler's Wells first offspring to win the Epsom Derby. Galileo also won the Irish Derby and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and was voted European Champion Three-Year-Old. Bred again to Sadler's Wells, Urban Sea produced Black Sam Bellamy, a winner of the 2002 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and the 2003 Tattersalls Gold Cup.

Urban Sea was bred to Giant's Causeway and in 2002 foaled a filly named My Typhoon who set a then-record price for a filly foal of US$2.955 million when sold in December at the Tattersalls Sale to Live Oak Stud of Ocala, Florida. My Typhoon has won several American stakes races and earned her first Grade 1 win in the 2007 Diana Handicap at Saratoga Race Course.

Bred to the Shadwell Stud stallion, Green Desert, Urban Sea's most recent foal was born in 2005. Named Sea's Legacy, the colt is currently in training with John Oxx.

Pedigree
name = Urban Sea
f = Miswaki
m = Allegretta
ff = Mr. Prospector
fm = Hopespringseternal
mf = Lombard
mm = Anatevka
fff = Raise a Native
ffm = Gold Digger
fmf = Buckpasser
fmm = Rose Bower
mff = Agio
mfm = Promised Lady
mmf = Espresso
mmm = Almyra
ffff = Native Dancer
fffm = Raise You
ffmf = Nashua
ffmm = Sequence
fmff = Tom Fool
fmfm = Busanda
fmmf = Princequillo
fmmm = Lea Lane
mfff = Tantieme
mffm = Aralia
mfmf = Prince Chevalier
mfmm = Belle Sauvage
mmff = Acropolis
mmfm = Babylon
mmmf = Brikhahn
mmmm = Alameda|

References

* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/urban+sea Urban Sea's pedigree and partial racing stats]
* [http://www.irish-national-stud.ie/boarding.html Urban Sea at the Irish National Stud website] (includes photo of Urban Sea and her 2005 foal, Sea's Legacy)