MICK KINANE IS AN OLD SEA DOG

MICK KINANE became the oldest jockey to win the Derby for 43 years as Sea The Stars etched his name into the history books.

John Oxx's colt is the first horse since Nashwan in 1989 to do the 2,000 Guineas-Derby double.

And Kinane, 49, declared: "This horse has taken years off me! When he came along last May I couldn't believe my luck and thought I'd better hang around a bit longer!"

Second favourite Sea The Stars had been tipped by Sport of the World's racing expert Alastair Down AND napped by our Pegasus.

William Hill now make Sea The Stars a 5-4 chance to emulate Nijinsky by landing the Triple Crown of 2,000 Guineas, Derby and the St Leger.

The half-brother to 2001 Derby hero Galileo travelled beautifully throughout the race to beat 9-4 favourite Fame And Glory by1¾ lengths with Masterofthehorse a neck away in third and Rip Van Winkle fourth.

It gave Kinane his third triumph in his 21st Derby and put him in the record books as the oldest winning jockey since Scobie Breasley triumphed on Charlottown in 1966 at 52.

Kinane added: "I was going so easy all the way, it was as if we were racing in slow motion. That's the key to him - he has serious tools over any trip. He is so quick, he has a very high cruising speed and John has done a fantastic job with him.

"He is so quick I thought I was going to have to sit right behind the leader at one stage.

"He over-raced as they weren't going quick enough for him."

Trainer Oxx brought with him an enviable Derby record, having finished first and third with his only two other Derby runners, Sinndar and Alamshar.

And he said: "The horse impressed us as a yearling before he came to us - he just had everything. He's never let us down, right from the word go.

WINNER - Sea The Stars sails home

"I was never anxious at any time during the race because he was going so well and when Mick sent him on I knew he wouldn't be caught. He could win at any distance. He could go back to a mile, while 10 furlongs is probably perfect for him."

It was also a fabulous day for 27-year-old owner Chrsitopher Tsui, who owns a Hong Kong nightclub.

The £709,625 winner's cheque might be enough to open another one.

Tsui, who had flown in from the Far East to see the colt race for the first time, said: "It's unbelievable. I arrived from Hong Kong on Friday and I'm overwhelmed by it all - I don't really know what to say."

Tsui may be one of racing's younger owners but he is no stranger to top-class horses.

His father raced former Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea - mother to Sea The Stars.

Tsui added: "I was bitten by the racing bug early and started attending the races in France as a 10-year-old.

"Breeding and racing thoroughbreds in Europe is a passion for most of us in the family. My mother Ling makes all the decisions."

Punters up and down the country were also celebrating as Sea The Stars' victory cost the bookies an estimated £20million.

William Hill spokesman David Hood said: "We knew our fate early when the public ploughed their cash into Sea The Stars.

"Punters will be queuing from a galaxy far, far away to claim their winnings."

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