James Doyle on Sea Of Class: 'I just pray she can get out the other side of it'

James Doyle, who rode Sea Of Class in all seven of her starts, with his reaction to the news that the star filly is fighting for her life after a career-ending bout of colic.

I couldn’t believe it when William [Haggas] called me to tell me the news. It’s hard to take in when you’ve been on such a journey with everyone involved. It’s a big team effort and obviously [owner] Mrs Tsui must have been knocked sideways.

It’s devastating that we’ll never get to see her on the track again and I just pray that everything goes okay with the colic and she can get out the other side of it.

Her turn of foot was deadly and it was one of her biggest weapons, that ability to quicken when all the others were seeming to be at full pelt.

Sea Of Class and James Doyle fail by a short neck to catch Enable in last year's ArcCredit: Edward Whitaker

To do what she did in the Arc was some performance and that has to be her best performance – the way she bobbed and weaved through the field and quickened up, she gave me an unbelievable feel that day.

It was mixed emotions that day – who would have thought you could finish second in an Arc and feel so happy and pleased with the result? Who knows, if the trip had gone a bit smoother, I think she definitely could have got her head in front.

It was a shame to have so many horses declared that year, some of which didn’t have much of a realistic chance, and we ended up being pushed so wide.

It was a tremendous performance.

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