SEA BIRD II
BY DAN CUPID OUT OF SILICADE, 1962-1973

Sea Bird was given a rating of 145, the highest rating ever given to a colt by Timeform and thus was officially the greatest racehorse of the last century. Sea Bird has strong claims for being rated the greatest horse of the last century

Achestnut with a white blaze and two stockings behind, Sea Bird was bred by his owner M. Jean Ternynck, a French textile manufacturer. His pedigree gave no signs of great tidings and his five immediate dams surprisingly never won a race of any sort. The nearest his dam Silicade got to winning was finishing second in a race at Maisons-Laffitte though his sire Dan Cupid was by Native Dancer (rated among 15 best racehorses of the last century losing only once in the Kentucky Derby that too by a nose) who won three times in France and finished second in the Middle Park Stakes. The following season he was unplaced in the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. However, in the French Derby he finished a honourable second to Herbager, a truly top class horse.

Trained at Chantilly by Etienne Pollet, Sea Bird ran thrice as a two-year-old in 1964. He won comfortably in the Prix de Blaison, making it a winning debut. Facing a formidable opposition, he won convincingly in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. He faced a solitary defeat of his racing career in the final season at the hands of his stable mate Grey Dawn in a field of 13. Sea Bird’s defeat was attributed to a slow start and running wide at the bend. However his followers had full faith that he would avenge his defeat.

As a three-year-old in the year 1965, Sea Bird made a promising start, winning the 10 furlongs Prix Greffulhe at Longchamp in a canter. Subsequently, he disdainfully outclassed a strong opposition in the Prix Lupin, winning by six lengths, in a field that included the French 2000 Guineas winner Cambremont and the Prix Noailles winner Diatome. Moving up on the bridle inside the last furlong to match strides with the till then unbeaten Diatome, Glennon let go of him at that stage and Sea Bird responded by demolishing his rivals by a long-looking six lengths from Diatome with Cambremont following third. The win made Sea Bird an overwhelming favourite for the 1965 Epsom Derby

On Derby day he looked spare and not particularly impressive. But the race was a different story altogether. Sea Bird was tucked in sixth place at Tattenham Corner after being in a handy position throughout the race and with a quarter of a mile still to go, he was still on the bit. At this point jockey Pat Glennon stepped on the gas and they cruised into the lead like a Rolls Royce, opening up an invincible lead of four lengths. 100 yards further he was again on the bit and had only two lengths to spare at the winning post after being pulled up. Those present at the Epsom that day were privileged to see, debatably, the easiest ever Derby win. Had he not been eased in the last 50 yards, he would have won by a far greater margin.To those witnessing the big race it was more like watching a ballet dancer. He made Meadow Court and I Say a Length, who came in second and third respectively, look like starters hacks. It was a superlative performance that would be etched in the minds of racing fans forever. In the process he defeated some of the best English and Irish horses like Meadow Court (who went on to win the Irish Derby and the King George), I Say a Length, Niksar, Convamore, Cambridge, Gulf Pearl, Bally Marais, Solstice, Alcade, Silly Season and Foothill.To this day it is the easiest win ever recorded in the big race as he literally won on the bit (the margin of the win was two lengths but that never reflected his true superiority). Shergar’s record 10 length win is regarded as the greatest Derby win of the last century but I feel Sea Bird’s win was achieved more convincingly.

Sea Bird went on to win the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud with great ease being always on the bit and despite meeting older horses for the first time, he won with two and a half lengths to spare from Couroucou.

That same year, the Prix de L’arc de Triomphe winessed the strongest field ever contested. It included the Irish Derby winner Meadow Court, Russian champion Anilin, Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Tom Rolfe, Coronation Cup winner Diatome and the Prix du Jockey Club, Grand Prix and Prix Royal Oaks winner Reliance.

Italian colt Marco Visconti made the running followed by Anilin, Khalife, Sea Bird, Francilius and Tom Rolfe. At the bend Anilin took over the running with Meadow Court improving his position. Sea Bird was travelling well in fifth place with Reliance close behind. At that stage it seemed any horse among the top half dozen could have won. Before one could say Jack Robinson, like a flash of lightning, Sea Bird and Reliance broke away from the rest of the field. Two furlongs from home, Pat Glennon urged his mount, who responded like a rocket and burst ahead to win by the widest ever margin in the history of the Arc by six lengths. Towards the end he cut across the field veering to the left but for which his winning margin would have been greater. It must be stated that his actual winning margin was four and a half lengths and not six (as the camera photo demonstrated) as the judges exaggerated the winning margin. The bias of the French judges was evident.The strides with which he accomplished this feat after hitting the front captured the hearts of racing aficionados in Europe as never before. It was akin to watching Muhammed Ali delivering his greatest blow for a knockout or Pele scoring the best goal of his life. Reliance finished second, six lengths ahead of Diatome. With a Timeform rating of 137, Reliance was one of the best horses to run in France for a long time, scoring a smashing six length win over Diatome in the Grand Prix de Paris. Subsequently, Diatome went on to win the Washington International. But those present at Longchamp that day thought that it was the greatest performance ever by a racehorse; one that they believed could never be surpassed. Commentator Julian Wilson of the BBC stated that that day it was impossible to imagine any great racehorse beating Sea Bird. At the end of the race he received the greatest ovation ever given to a racehorse in France. It was reminiscent of an emperor greeting his subjects in a victory parade.

Sea Bird was given a rating of 145, the highest rating ever given to a colt by Timeform and thus was officially the greatest racehorse of the last century. Sea Bird has strong claims for being rated the greatest horse of the last century. He was rated above Secretariat who was awarded a rating of 144 as personally I disagree with Secretariat being rated below. I maintain that Secretariat’s miraculous performance in the 1973 Belmont stakes where he won by 31 lengths was the greatest performance ever by a racehorse (like winning the Epsom Derby by a furlong). On that day for racegoers it was like witnessing a supersonic plane in action. Secretariat also won over a wider range of distances. In the Marlboro Cup that year he defeated the previous year’s Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby winner Riva Ridge by three lengths conceding 6lbs. Secretariat also won over grass and set world record timings at ten and nine furlongs. However Sea Bird’s 1965 Arc performance was the greatest by any race horse who set foot on the European Turf. Never in a big race had such strong opposition been annihilated in the manner Sea Bird did that day. Even the greatest sprinters and milers in Europe did not equal that performance. To my mind that performance, in terms of raw ability placed him as the second best racehorse of the last century (in raw ability Secretariat was the greatest). He was rated by the Racing Post above Citation (142), Tudor Minstrel (142), PharLap (138), Man’o War(139), Dr. Fager (138), Brigadier Gerard (143), Ribot (143), Vaguely Noble (140), Mill Reef (141), Nijinsky (140), Shergar (140) and Dancing Brave (140).

What counts against Sea Bird being rated the horse of the century was that he did not win over all distances, different types of going nor did he perform at the age of four years. It must be mentioned that as far as versatility, toughness and tenacity are concerned, horses like Man O’War, Citation, PharLap, MillReef, Kelso, Dr. Fager, Brigadier Gerard, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid and Forego were ahead. Dr. Fager carried phenomenal handicaps, winning over a huge range of distances as a four-year-old (the first ever horse to win the title of champion grass horse, top handicap horse, top grass horse and horse of the year who carried a record 139 lbs to win the Vosburgh handicap by six lengths and set a world record timing for a mile). The same applied to Phar Lap (champion at three, four and five years, being the first horse in flat racing to revise the weight for age rules), Forego (first horse to capture the title of champion sprinter, champion stayer and horse of the year. In his final year he carried 137lbs to defeat Honest Pleasure in the Marlboro Cup), Spectacular Bid, Seattle Slew (the last two named were champions at two, three and four years old. Spectacular Bid won a successive range of 12 starts and 10 starts winning 26 out of 30 starts. He won from a distance of seven furlongs to ten furlongs breaking a world record which he still holds at seven furlongs and carried huge handicaps upto 134lbs. Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown unbeaten and won important races carrying handicaps upto 134lbs at four years) and Kelso (won over a huge range of distances and only horse to win the horse of the year title for five consecutive years between 1960 to 1964). Ribot and Brigadier Gerard (unbeaten in 15 races in a row and despite being the greatest miler winning over distances of ten furlongs and 12 furlongs) were champions at three years and four years, giving their greatest performances at the age of four years. Citation was more versatile (unbeaten in 16 races in a row winning 19 out of 20 starts as a three-year-old) and also won carrying huge handicaps. In terms of successive races won they overshadowed Sea Bird. Man O' War won 20 races from 21 starts and was a champion at three and four years. Mill Reef won big races in all types of going and over a wider range of distances. Statistically Nijinsky overshadowed Sea bird by winning the Triple Crown in addition to the Irish Derby and King George. In the final analysis it is debatable whether Sea Bird was the greatest but one thing is beyond doubt that he was a true equine superstar. Personally overall it would be almost impossible to choose the greatest horse. On the basis that he won both the Epsom Derby and the Arc with such meticulous ease, I would conclusively rate Sea Bird as the greatest ever European racehorse over the middle distance of one and a half miles (overall it is debatable whether he was a better horse than Ribot, Brigadier Gerard or Mill Reef).

Sea Bird was retired to John Galbreath’s Derby Dan Stud Farm in Kentucky. The greatest horse he sired was Allez France, whose victories included the French 1000 Guineas, French Oaks, Prix Vermeille, Prix d’Harcourt, Prix Ganay and the Prix del’Arc de Triomphe. He also produced the 1970 Derby runner-up Gyr; the Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Great Heron; the 1986 Arc runner-up Bering finishing second to the great Dancing Brave and termed as one of the greatest three-year-olds in recent years in France; the Ganay winner Arctic Tern and the phenomenal jumper Sea Pigeon. The end of this immortal legend came in 1973. when he tragically succumbed to an intestinal blockage. It was sad that such an immortal on the racetrack could hardly match (hardly lived for long) upto the spectacular performances of other stars like Mill Reef, Ribot and Nijinsky at stud.