Sea Bird II

Thoroughbred racehorse infobox
horsename = Sea Bird II


caption =
sire = Dan Cupid
grandsire = Native Dancer
dam = Sicalade
damsire = Sicambre
sex = Stallion
foaled = 1962
country = France flagicon|France
colour = Chestnut
breeder = Jean Ternynck
owner = Jean Ternynck, Racing silks: Dark green, black cap.
trainer = Etienne Pollet
record = 8: 7-1-0
earnings = $646,906
race = Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte (1964)
Prix Greffulhe (1965)
Prix Lupin (1965)
Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (1965)
Epsom Derby (1965)
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (1965)
awards=
honours = French Horse Racing Hall of Fame
(Highest ever given)|updated= January 4, 2007

Sea Bird II (1962-1973) is considered by many to be the greatest post-war European flat racehorse.

Owned and bred at the stables of Lille textile manufacturer Jean Ternynck, Sea Bird II is most famous for his breathtaking victories in two of Europe's most prestigious races, the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was by the French Derby runner-up Dan Cupid, and trained, like his sire, in France by Etienne Pollet. Amazingly his five immediate dams never won a flat race between them.

He had just three races as a two year old winning two (including the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte). He met with the only defeat of his career in the Grand Critérium when coming in second to his stablemate Grey Dawn. As a three year old he won all five races he contested in an all conquering season. He started his three year old career with an effortless win in the Prix Greffulhe followed by a six length victory over Diatome in the Prix Lupin. Then came a simply devastating run in the Epsom Derby. Starting at generous odds of 7/4 he won on the bridle by a very easy two lengths from Meadow Court, who went on to win the Irish Derby Stakes and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a victory that marked him out as one of the very best Derby winners in living memory. [Lee McKenzie [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/epsom_derby_2002/1961658.stm Six of the Epsom best] , BBC, 30 May, 2002]

Sea Bird II had his preparatory race for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in which he sauntered to win by two and a half lengths. In the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe he faced an incredibly strong field, including Meadow Court, Preakness winner Tom Rolfe, French Derby winner Reliance and Russian Derby winner Anilin. Starting at odds of 6/5 Sea Bird II destroyed the opposition in a stunning rout, despite veering across the track with jockey Pat Glennon patting him down the neck in the final 50 yards, by six lengths (though photographs of the finish show it to have been closer to four and a half lengths) from Reliance. Five lengths further back in third was Diatome, who would go on to win the Washington, D.C. International, fifth was Anilin and sixth was Tom Rolfe.

Prior to the running of his final race the American breeder John W. Galbreath paid owner Jean Ternynck a reported $1,350,000 to lease Sea Bird II for five years' stud duty at his Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky. Among Sea Bird II's progeny were the dual French classic and 1974 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning mare Allez France, 1974 Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Little Current, Champion Hurdle winner Sea Pigeon and Gyr, second in the 1970 Epsom Derby behind the English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II. Sea Bird II was the damsire of King's Swan, who was known as the "King of Aqueduct", and also of the half brothers Assert, the Irish Derby and French Derby winner, and Bikala who won the French Derby.

Timeform rated Sea Bird II 145, the highest mark ever awarded.

Pedigree
name = Sea Bird II
f = Dan Cupid
m = Sicalade
ff = Native Dancer
fm = Vixenette
mf = Sicambre
mm = Marmalade
fff = Polynesian
ffm = Geisha
fmf = Sickle
fmm = Lady Reynard
mff = Prince Bio
mfm = Sif
mmf = Maurepas
mmm = Couleur
ffff = Unbreakable
fffm = Black Polly
ffmf = Discovery
ffmm = Miyako
fmff = Phalaris
fmfm = Selene
fmmf = Gallant Fox
fmmm = Nerva
mfff = Prince Rose
mffm = Biologie
mfmf = Rialto
mfmm = Suavita
mmff = Aethelstan
mmfm = Broceliande
mmmf = Biribi
mmmm = Colour Bar|

References

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIKf8QmTSeM Video at YouTube of Sea Bird's win in the 1965 Epsom Derby]
* [http://www.pedigreequery.com/sea-bird Sea Bird's pedigree and racing stats]
* http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=h31uNiq8-jM (YouTube video of Sea-Bird's win in the 1965 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe)
* "Great Racehorses of the World", Roger Mortimer and Peter Willett, Michael Joseph 1969, p.221-225.

Footnotes