Gilltown Stud could be a page torn straight from a fairytale.

Enter through the vast wrought-iron gates and be greeted with a scene befitting of the stud's mythical status across the world. A vast, sprawling estate with sleepy foals dozing in lush pastures, mares grazing peacefully and a feeling of serenity and calm that transcends the outside world. The sweeping drive, guarded by imperious statues of Aga Khan legends Shergar and Sinndar, beckon visitors into the warm welcome of Pat Downes, director of Aga Khan Studs.

A traditional first glance of the world-renowned super-sire is delayed; there is business to attend to. Sea The Stars bounds the short distance to the covering shed with the zeal and enthusiasm of a stallion in his prime, muscles rippling and light on his feet. Any visitor anticipating seeing a veteran sire in his twilight years would have been forced to quickly reassess - this is a stallion, at nineteen years old, in his prime. He knows his job and returns promptly, posing for the initial snapshot with a self-assured confidence.

Sea The Stars has been resident at Gilltown for sixteen years; part and parcel of the legendary stud and a figurehead for the exclusive Aga Khan stallion band. It is easy to forget that the son of Cape Cross was not born within the traditional Anglo-Irish estate and did not graduate through the carefully nurtured pre-training programme at Gilltown and neighbouring Sallymount.

The Tsui family, with their famous yellow-and-purple silks, ended speculation in late October 2009 by announcing that their Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero would stand at Gilltown Stud, whilst retaining ownership.

"It seems a long time ago now," Downes reflects.

"We were asked if we would take Sea The Stars and we were absolutely delighted. His Highness The Aga Khan had never done anything like that before; any horses that stood as stallions were homebreds he had raised himself.

"It was a departure from the norm."

Since the sale of dual Derby winning son Harzand in 2022, Sea The Stars stands alone at Gilltown – and that's the way he likes it. The remaining four stallions of the Aga Khan Studs' elite stallion band – Erevann, Siyouni, Vadeni and Zarak – are all based at Haras de Bonneval in France, leaving Sea The Stars as the sole Irish representative.

"He's the king of Gilltown," stated Downes.

"There's no competition here and he's very happy with that.

"I would describe him as an alpha male and he likes his routine. He's very efficient in the covering shed, gets through his book in the season well and in the winter he switches off. It's lovely to see that he can chill in the off-season.

"You certainly know when it's coming round to February again, he knows and you can see it in him – his behaviour changes."

With a waiting photographer hovering, Sea The Stars takes up an imperial pose with the backdrop of the sixteen-acre lake. It is a familiar position for one of the leading European stallions. Over the years, Sea The Stars has been photographed extensively to mark his numerous achievements. The list of accomplishments is endless; three Group 1 winners in the first crop, 2024 leading sire of three-year-olds in Europe and the landmark twenty Group 1 victories (now 23).

A mere four months after that crisp, clear morning at Gilltown, Sea The Stars continues to break new ground. With the sales season underway, he is about to enter a new era of strong stallion son representation – Stradivarius has been well-received by breeders, Crystal Ocean's offspring have been breaking records at the National Hunt sales and Baaeed will welcome his first juveniles in 2026.

As a broodmare sire, Sea The Stars is experiencing increased success. The Aga Khan Studs' own Sibayan achieved a landmark Group 1 victory in the Preis von Europa, El Cordobes tasted top-level Graded success in the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga and Wimbledon Hawkeye flies the flag on both sides of the Atlantic.

"Producing successful broodmares is something you always hoped would happen and is the last piece of the jigsaw for him," Downes said.

"In the last two to three years, his daughters have really started to kick on and you can see that he's going to be a very influential broodmare sire. A daughter of Sea The Stars is something you'd be very excited to have and we're fortunate to have a number of his daughters here."

Even a king deserves some allowances as the years progress and Sea The Stars has earnt a quieter life.

"He's in the elite sire bracket now and there's a premium on those horses," explained Downes.

"He's nineteen and will be twenty when he starts again next breeding season. We made a conscious decision this year to contract his book a little bit and hopefully we can provide a bit of longevity to his active stud career by making it easier for him from now on."

As life carries in Sea The Stars' small corner of Country Kilkenny, the stallion is unaware that his ascendancy could continue in Paris. He will be represented by three strong contenders - Aventure, Sosie and Daryz – in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

This is not a stallion slowing down. This is a stallion still in his prime.