By Tom Frary
Sent off the outsider of the seven contesting Tuesday's Listed Blue Riband Trial, Abdulla Al Mansoori's Sea Scout (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) belied odds of 40-1 to conquer Epsom's unique terrain. Helping to press the early pace under Harry Davies, the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Lingfield novice winner had first run on Ballydoyle's 9-4 second favourite Trinity College (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and that counted as he hit the line with a head to spare, with 3 1/2 lengths back to Mirabeau (GB) (Territories {Ire}) in third. The heavily-supported 6-4 favourite Devil's Advocate (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) was disappointing in sixth.
Despite the winner's odds, Simon Crisford was not surprised. “He has always looked like a horse with a lot of talent and will stay a mile and a half,” he said. “He is in the Derby and in the Dante. We will let the dust settle and make a plan with Mr Al Mansoori, who is a lucky owner at Epsom. We will see. He is a very promising colt for the future. Even though he was the outsider today, he wasn't that price in our book and we came here today thinking that he had a nice chance.”
“At home he is a little bit sleepy, so you can't really judge him by what he does in the mornings but he has the pedigree for the big race back here in June,” he added. “He will stay the trip and is now a course winner who liked the track. We will come back in June with lots of positives. He is very much a work in progress.”
40/1 outsider wins! 😮
Sea Scout digs deep to land the Listed @Betfred Blue Riband Trial under Harry Davies for Simon & Ed Crisford 🥇🌊@EpsomRacecourse pic.twitter.com/JqMEsNwwLG
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 22, 2025
Mated exclusively with Sea The Stars after her first foal, the unraced dam Wo De Xin (GB) (Shamardal) gave instant reward for that decision by producing the Aga Khan's Studs' resident supreme's Listed Winter Cup-winning and G3 Colin Stephen Quality Handicap-placed Al Aabir (Ire). Interestingly, she has some key Epsom Classic-winning form in her pedigree being a granddaughter of the G3 Lancashire Oaks runner-up La Sky (Ire) (Law Society).
La Sky's daughter Love Divine (GB) (Diesis {GB}) was the heroine of the millennium edition of the Oaks before producing the G1 St Leger-winning sire Sixties Icon (GB) by Sea The Stars' half-brother Galileo (Ire), while this Lordship Stud family also features Shamardal's G1 Champions Mile-winning Hong Kong heavyweight Dunboyne Express (Ire). Her 2-year-old full-sister to the winner and Al Aabir was a €160,000 purchase by PR Thoroughbreds at Goffs Orby Book 1 and is named Nuyina (Ire), while her latest offering is a yearling filly.
BETFRED BLUE RIBAND TRIAL-Listed, £50,000, Epsom, 4-22, 3yo, 10f 17yT, 2:08.69, gd.
1–SEA SCOUT (IRE), 129, c, 3, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Wo De Xin (GB), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Moonshadow (GB), by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: La Sky (Ire), by Law Society
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (175,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-Abdulla Al Mansoori; B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford; J-Harry Davies. £28,355. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $44,534. *Full to Al Aabir (Ire), SW & GSP-Aus, $199,768.
2–Trinity College (Ire), 129, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Hermosa (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). TDN Rising Star. O-P Smith/Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £10,750.
3–Mirabeau (GB), 129, c, 3, Territories (Ire)–Lubinka (Ire), by Mastercraftsman (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (£23,000 Ylg '23 GOFFUK). O-The ffrench Revolution & Mrs T Hamilton; B-J Bernstein & R Haim (GB); T-Dominic ffrench Davis. £5,380.
Margins: HD, 3HF, SHD. Odds: 40.00, 2.25, 28.00.
Also Ran: Tiberius Thunder (Ire), Prince Of The Seas (Ire), Devil's Advocate (GB), The Cursor (GB).
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