CRYSTAL Ocean is among the best horses of recent seasons. A classic-placed Group 1 star who never finished out of the first three in a 17-race career that took in four seasons, he is also among the select group who have earned in excess of £2 million on the track.
Runner-up on his only start at two, he split Capri and Stradivarius in a vintage edition of the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster and then dropped back to 10 furlongs to take the Group 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown first time out at four. He won twice at Royal Ascot, notably last year’s defeat of Magical in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes over 10 furlongs. He chased home Cracksman in a Group 1 Champion Stakes and was only beaten by a neck and a head respectively when runner-up to Enable and Japan in the King George and Juddmonte International Stakes.
It was a surprise to hear that his stallion career would start in the National Hunt sector given that he was a top-class performer at 10 and 12 furlongs and bred to sire high-class flat stock over the full classic range. However, National Hunt breeders will keep him very busy in the years ahead, and at a fee of €8,000 he could be a bargain for anyone breeding to race on the flat rather than to sell.
He is not the first son of the Timeform 140-rated superstar and leading sire Sea The Stars (by Cape Cross) to retire directly to a National Hunt stud. That distinction went to the twice-raced five-length Roscommon maiden winner Affinisea who stands at Whytemount Stud, has two-year-olds and covered 224 mares in 2019.
That horse, a €850,000 foal in Goffs, is a half-brother to the runaway Group 1 Irish Derby winner and The Beeches Stud resident Soldier Of Fortune, a sire of Grade 1 winners under both codes and who, since switching exclusively to National Hunt, is one of the busiest stallions at stud.
Crystal Ocean’s Grade 1-winning half-brother Hillstar (by Danehill Dancer), who stands at Garryrichard Stud, has three-year-olds and his foals made up to €38,000 in Fairyhouse in 2019.
His three-parts sister Crystal Capella (by Cape Cross) is a dual Group 2 Pride Stakes winner who pipped Dar Re Mi in the Group 3 Middleton Stakes at York and thrashed her rivals by eight lengths and more in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket.
Crystal Ocean’s dam Crystal Star (by Mark Of Esteem) was a Group 3-placed stakes winner over seven furlongs, and that half-sister to the runaway 12-furlong listed scorer Waila (by Notnowcato) is out of Crystal Cavern (by Be My Guest), a half-sister to the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Rose Gypsy (by Green Desert). Alkaadhem (Global Citizen) plus the flat sires Cape Cross (Manyriverstocross, Ruacana, etc), Desert Prince (My Tent Or Yours), Born To Sea (A Wave Of The Sea, Aspire Tower), and Sea The Moon (Allmankind) are Green Desert-line stallions who have had graded winners over jumps.
CRYSTAL OCEAN (GB), Bay 2014. Champion older horse in England in 2019. Jt Champion older horse in Europe in 2019. Won eight races, £2,062,400, from 1 mile 2 furlongs to 1½ miles, 3 to 5 years including, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Hardwicke Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2, Al Rayyan Aston Park Stakes, Newbury, Gr.3 (twice), Qatar Gordon Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.3 (twice), also placed second in Juddmonte International Stakes, York, Gr.1, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1 (twice), Qipco Champion Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, William Hill St Leger Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1, 188Bet September Stakes, Kempton Park, Gr.3, and third in Betfred Dante Stakes, York, Gr.2, King Edward VII Stakes, Ascot, Gr.2.
Retired to Stud in 2020.
Stands at: The Beeches Stud, Lismore, Co Waterford, P51 H70H
Contact: Robert McCarthy, Bobby McCarthy, or Peter Kenneally
Phone: +353 (0)58 56254
Email: info@coolmore.com
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €8,000