Mick Kinane was clear and concise. Sea The Stars, the Irish riding ace’s mount, had won the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. Kinane spoke about Sea The Stars’ future. “He was very keen. He has his winter coat. He did what he needed to. I do not know what the owner or the trainer wants. I know that he has nothing to prove.”

In the post-race press conference, I asked Chris Tsui, the 27 year-old owner of Sea The Stars, if he would go to the Breeders’ Cup and take on Summer Bird and Zenyatta in the Classic. I pointed out that Summer Bird had won the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Saturday. Mr Tsui did not commit. “It is a 50-50 deal. He has been thru a long season.”

I had spoken to John Oxx at the Curragh in late June about the Breeders’ Cup. “It is an option though it is a faraway option. If Sea The Stars does not go in the Arc, then the Breeders’ Cup is a possibility.”

The news came from Ireland on Tuesday. John Oxx confirmed that his prize colt has been retired. “He’s the best I have trained. He had everything. He had a good constitution. He had the right temperament. His record of achievement places him in a special category. He has had a long year and has rarely missed work.”

Jockey Kinane expressed his feelings. “He is the greatest I have been on. He gave me a new lease on life. His acceleration was unbelievable. From day one, I knew he was something special.”

Sea The Stars is by Cape Cross out of Urban Sea by Miswaki. Urban Sea, an Arc winner, was owned by Chris Tsui’s mother. In his debut in July 2008 at the Curragh, Sea The Stars ran fourth. The duck was broken next time out at Leopardstown on a soft course. The Beresford Stakes at the Curragh was the springboard that catapulted Sea The Stars to classic status. The freshman campaign ended.

The English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May was the next race for Sea The Stars. Delegator attracted the most money and Sea The Stars was dismissed at 8-1. Jockey Kinane and Sea The Stars outpaced them all in the final 200 metres.

Epsom Downs at Surrey was the next stop. The prize was the English Derby. Sea The Stars was trying to emulate Nashwan who had achieved the Guineas-Derby double in 1980. The scribes and the tipping fraternity solidly lined up behind the Oxx-trained colt but Fame And Glory, an Aidan O’Brien trainee and the mount of Seamus Heffernan, ended the favorite at post time. Sea The Stars opened at 9-4 and touched 3-1. Kinane lay in striking range and struck the front with 300 metres to run. Fame And Glory came late on the scene to head the beaten brigade.

The Irish Derby at the Curragh was the next target. Rain on the Friday before Derby day on Sunday prompted trainer Oxx to withdraw Sea The Stars.

It was back to England the following Saturday. It was Sandown Park and the race was the Coral Eclipse Stakes. An odds-on favourite, Sea The Stars made no mistake.

York’s Juddmonte International was the next race in mid-August. Bet to the exclusion of his rivals, the Cape Cross colt won his fourth consecutive Group I race.

Now, Sea The Stars returned to Ireland. It was the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Weather was a critical factor. John Oxx considered the course satisfactory. Fame And Glory was reopposing and was returning after a romp in the Irish Derby. Sea The Stars let Fame and Glory make first run. When Kinane let him loose, Sea The Stars swept past the leader to win by two lengths.

The weather in Paris in the days leading up to the Arc was watched with unusual interest. The grass in the Longchamp neighbourhood turned brown. As I rode in the bus to Longchamp, I could see the ‘brown’ patches. The course was watered.

In the French tote, the odds were 80 cents on the euro. Things did not go well. Kinane had to fight Sea The Stars who was pulling hard. Kinane was able to save ground. Two O’Brien runners set a fast pace and put a great deal of separation between them and the chasing pack. Sea The Stars was shuffled back and Kinane, turning for home, began looking for a seam. Stacelita had hit the front and was being hailed. The situation was turning desperate. An opening appeared along the fence. A moment later, one could see Kinane’s yellow silks come through. Before the first roar could be heard, Sea The Stars had gained control of the situation. Youmzain went in chase. Cavalryman and Conduit began their challenges. There were 200 metres to run. The bird had flown. It was a two-length win for Sea The Stars. The 2400-metre Arc had been run in 2 26.3 seconds. The Arc carried a purse of 5.85 million US dollars.

John Oxx and Mick Kinane did not attend the press meeting. The authorities waited for the next race to be run, a race for Arabian-breds. The Arc was the sixth in the nine-race card. The eighth race was the Prix Cadran and Kinane was aboard Alandi, an Oxx-trained runner. It was poor planning. Owner Chris Tsui took the questions.

On a personal note, I watched Sea The Stars in the Epsom Derby and the Arc in Paris. Are they indelible memories? Yes and Sea The Stars handled everything that Aidan O’Brien came up with. He won over 1,600, 2,000 and 2,400 metres. I believe making comparisons is academic. I loved seeing Mick Kinane win these big races and he is 50. I could not ask him if he thought there was another (freshman) STS in the Oxx yard.

The one discordant note over the Arc weekend was the defeat of Goldikova in Saturday’s Prix Foret. Olivier Peslier raced second and took the lead midstretch. In the last 100 metres, Goldikova was one-paced and finished third. The Anabaa filly continues to be the favourite for the Turf Mile at Santa Anita, a race she won last year.

It rained in Paris on Monday. It rained almost all day on Tuesday. My wife and I sat on the second (open) deck of a tour bus and had an umbrella. Rain held off until Sea The Stars had won Sunday’s Arc, his sixth Group I win in a row. The Cape Cross colt was put on a plane to go to Ireland late Sunday. He was back to familiar surroundings on Monday when the skies opened up in the City of Lights.

It was the eighth race on Sunday at Longchamp. I was watching the 4000-mrtre Prix Cadran. Alandi, owned by the Aga Khan, won with Mick Kinane. Yeats, making his farewell appearance, was third. To my left, I saw a familiar face. It took a moment to realize it was Haresh Mehta. I said hello only to see trainer Padmanabhan in an impeccable suit. Cyrus Poonawalla was there too.

Versaki has given Mr Mehta every reason to be optimistic. The Pune Derby may not be a reliable pointer to the big events in Mumbai but Versaki is no ordinary sophomore.

We will see what Summer Bird did in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Zenyatta won her thirteenth consecutive race and it is believed that she will line up in the Classic next month. All this in the next report.