The year of Sea The Stars: how a true great rewrote the record books in six runs

It was the summer when the stars shone bright. It was a summer that strayed into spring and autumn but the continued presence, and the continued dominance, of one beautiful horse, magnificent in every way, made if feel like a single season. It was, in every sense, the season of Sea The Stars.

Few could have expected that would be the case in the year's early months. During April he had been available to back at 25-1 for the 2,000 Guineas. In an ante-post Pricewise column, Tom Segal recommended taking that price, forecasting: "He could be a really top horse this season."

In the sense there was decent two-year-old form in the book and the pedigree was exceptional, he certainly did have the potential to do great things. No horse, however, has done things as great as those done by Sea The Stars.