Family to the fore at Goodwood as Sea The Stars brothers collect opening two races

It was very much a family affair in the opening two contests at Goodwood on Saturday as Al Aasy was followed into the winner's enclosure by brother Align The Stars just over 30 minutes later.

The brothers are by Sea The Stars and were bred by Sunderland Holding out of the winning Shamardal mare Kitcara, a half-sister to Listed Prix Maurice Caillault winner and Group 2 Prix Noailles second Kapour. 

Kitcara is in turn out of stakes-winning and Group-placed Monsun mare Kitcat, a Gestut Schlenderhan homebred and half-sister to Group 1 Gran Criterium winner and sire Konigstiger. She is also a sister to German Group winners Karavel and Kalla.

Al Aasy, four years senior to the progressive Summer Handicap winner Align The Stars, sold to Shadwell for 300,000gns from Mount Coote Stud at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2018.

The William Haggas-trained gelding has been a prolific winner for connections over the years, his successes including five Group 3 victories and a close second to Pyledriver in the Group 1 Coronation Cup in 2021. His Glorious Stakes win on Saturday over Relentless Voyager means he has now amassed earnings of nearly £400,000.

Sheikha Hissa Al Maktoum said: "Al Aasy is seven now, so he has been with us for a while and I think finally he is maturing! It took a while. 

"He was unlucky at Newbury [in the Steventon Stakes], where he ran a great race, so we thought of him highly coming here. He just thought he was out for a canter in the beginning. He had a good day out, in his mind. He’s a typical boy, so it’s always fun – you never know what you are getting."

She added: "We have been very lucky for the past two years. One year with Baaeed and the other with our older horses like Hukum and Al Husn. It’s nice to be here, enjoy the horses and have some winners. It is a humbling sport."

Align The Stars has not yet reached Pattern heights, but the likeable and tough Charlie Johnston-trained runner looks capable of further improvement. Tony Farmer's colt was picked up for 100,000gns at Book 1 in 2022 when offered by The Castlebridge Consignment. 

He has won his last three races and has finished outside the first three only once in his eight-start career, that coming when fourth in a Chelmford novice event last November. 

While Sea The Stars' 2023 Group 3 Bronte Cup Fillies' Stakes winner River Of Stars could finish 'only' third in the Group 2 Lillie Langtry Stakes, it was the Gilltown Stud resident's son, Sea The Moon, who sired the winner.

Term Of Endearment, winner of that York contest this year for Henry de Bromhead, kept on to win her third Group race. 

The Tattersalls Book 3 graduate was bred by Andrew Whitlock out of the black-type Montjeu mare Miss You Too and sold to Alex Elliott for 50,000gns at Park Paddocks in 2020.

His siblings’ double helped Sea The Stars top the sires’ standings for the week at Goodwood, with French Duke being a third winner while he had no fewer than four seconds, including Group 1 runners-up Sweet William and See The Fire. 

Darley duo Dubawi (Notable Speech, Lead Artist and Assailant) and Blue Point (Raqiya, Blue Prince and Big Evs) also had three winners.

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