Sea The Moon Overwhelming in German Derby

Unbeaten Sea The Moon won the 145th Deutsches Derby (Ger-I) in a dazzling performance under Christophe Soumillon, cruising alone on the stands' side rail at Hamburg to an 11-length triumph July 6.

 

The highly touted colt, a homebred of Gestut Gorlsdorf, was geared down in the final furlong after setting the pace in the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) race and won with stunning authority. 

 

Entering the stretch, Soumillon abruptly moved his mount off the rail and guided him across the track to the stands side. From there, Sea The Moon won with complete ease. The move was agreed upon in advance.

 

"As the horse has a history of hanging, I told Christophe to let him go to the outside rail, if he felt that the horse was going that way and then ride a finish all by himself," winning trainer Markus Klug told Racing Post.

 

Sea The Moon finished the trip in 2:29.86 on turf rated as good to stay undefeated in four career starts. He becomes the second classic winner from the first crop of 2009 European Horse of the Year Sea The Stars, joining 2014 Investec Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) victress Taghrooda. 

 

The colt was a clear winner in both outings this season, taking a group III race by two lengths at Frankfurt May 11. He stamped himself as the leading contender for the German Derby with a three-length triumph in the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen (Ger-II) June 1 at Cologne, where he won his career debut last September by four lengths.

 

Sea The Moon was ridden in his first three starts by Gestut Gorlsdorf stable jockey Andreas Helfenbein. Soumillon was booked to ride after Helfenbein recently returned from an injury. 

 

Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (Ger-II, German Two Thousand Guineas) winner Lucky Lion was second, 2 1/2 lengths in front of third-place finisher Open Your Heart.

 

Godolphin's Pinzolo finished 15th and Coolmore and partners' Geoffrey Chaucer was 17th in the field reduced to 18 with two scratches. Both were supplement to the race for €65,000.

 

German-bred Sea The Moon is one of two winner from as many to start out of the Monsun mare Sanwa, a sister to German Derby winners Schiaparelli (2006) and Samum (2000) and 2002 German Oaks (Ger-I) winner Salve Regina. He is a half brother to German stakes-placed filly Sansiwa, by Dansili,

 

Sea The Stars, whose first crop also includes Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-I, French Derby) runner-up Shamkiyr, stands at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in Ireland.