More pattern success for Crystal Ocean

Crystal Ocean notched up his sixth pattern-race win when landing the Group 3 Al Rayyan Stakes (registered as the Aston Park Stakes) over 12 furlongs at Newbury yesterday. He beat Laraaib by two lengths and had Raymond Tusk another three lengths back in third. Last month he beat Knight To Behold by two and a quarter lengths to take the Group 3 bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes over a quarter-mile less at Sandown.

The five-year-old, whom Timeform rated 129 last year, has now won seven of his 14 starts and has never finished out of the first three. He has earned over £1.1 million in prize money, been runner-up in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes, Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and Group 1 William Hill St Leger, and is one of the best horses of recent years not to have won at the highest level.

That one blot on his CV may change this year, he holds entries in the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes and Group 1 Coral-Eclipse, will no doubt have other Group 1 targets later in the summer and autumn.

Crystal Ocean collects his sixth Group-level success with this very smooth win in the Al Rayyan Stakes at @NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/euYWM3pIcj

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 18, 2019

Crystal Ocean was bred by Southcourt Stud and is one of four high-class offspring out of juvenile listed scorer Crystal Star (by Mark Of Esteem). Hillstar (by Danehill Dancer) won the Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes, Crystal Capella (by Cape Cross) won the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Stakes and two editions of the Group 2 Pride Stakes, and Crystal Zvezda (by Dubawi) won a ten-furlong listed contest at Newbury.

Their dam's pattern-placed half-sister Waila (by Notnowcato) ran away with a listed race over a mile and a half at Newmarket, and they are out of Crystal Cavern (by Be My Guest), a seven-furlong scorer and half-sister to Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) winner Rose Gypsy (by Green Desert).

This means that the third dam of Crystal Ocean is Krisalya (by Kris), the winning half-sister to Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan star Sasuru (by Most Welcome), listed scorers Little Bean (by Ajdal) and Sossus Vlei (by Inchinor), ill-fated Group 2 Challenge Stakes winner Sally Rous (by Rousillon), and Group 3 Park Hill Stakes runner-up The Faraway Tree (by Suave Dancer), the dam of US Grade 1 ace Tuscan Evening (by Oasis Dream).

Crystal Ocean will likely find a place at stud upon completion of his racing career. Hopefully, he will do so as a Group 1 winner rather than as the classic-placed prolific pattern scorer that he is now.