Brilliant and unbeaten as a 2-year-old, City of Troy rescued his diminished reputation after being defeated in the Two Thousand Guineas (G1) by showing abundant class when winning the Epsom Derby (G1) last month. It was a victory that went some way to justifying the extraordinary praise that has been lavished on the horse by connections.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien may be in the business of producing future stallions for his bosses at Coolmore, but his commentary around City of Troy has indicated a degree of faith and affection that we have rarely seen before, and the colt must win again in the Eclipse Stakes (G1) July 6 if those sky-high hopes for the horse are to be fulfilled.
City of Troy enters new territory here on multiple fronts, taking on his elders for the first time, going right-handed, and running over a new intermediate trip of a mile and a quarter, but the market indicates he is expected to overcome those questions with ease.
“He’s a very different, unique horse and with that type of horse there is always pressure as everybody knows what he can do,” O’Brien said. “There is a great sense of excitement and anticipation from everybody about what is going to happen on Saturday.
“He took a bit of pulling up in the Derby. He had an awful lot to learn and (jockey) Ryan (Moore) went out with the mindset he was just going to teach him, let him relax, and feel his way with him. That’s what he did and Ryan was delighted with him—he said he took off a furlong out and that’s what we saw last year. It’s a very unusual trait in a horse.”
O’Brien has won the Eclipse a record seven times, has more British and Irish classics than any other trainer, and routinely produces champions at all age groups.
However, it could be argued that he has yet to handle a truly standout horse on the flat. Hawk Wing, winner of the Eclipse in 2002, is his highest-rated performer, while O’Brien will forever be associated with the exploits of Galileo, as much, if not more, for his excellence as a stallion as for his superb racing career.
Grand plans have been laid out for City of Troy for later in the year, with the Juddmonte International (G1) or Irish Champion Stakes (G1) before a tilt on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar being on the agenda, and a compelling victory at Sandown would not only help the son of Justify towards those targets but elevate him further in both the mind of O’Brien and the racing public.
“He has grown up and matured and we have been very happy with everything he has done since Epsom,” O’Brien said. “We knew what he was last year and we knew what happened at Newmarket, so there was a lot riding on it at Epsom for the horse and everybody. I was delighted, relieved, and thrilled for everybody.
“I’m not sure any of our previous Derby winners had the pace City of Troy had as a 2-year-old—from the first time he raced he looked a little bit different all the way along.”
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