Derby redemption for City Of Troy
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City Of Troy (3 c Justify – Together Forever by Galileo) recaptured the sparkling form he showed as a two-year-old when coming from deep in the pack to run out a clear winner of Saturday’s Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) and banish memories of his English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) disappointment.
Unbeaten in three starts at two to be crowned Europe’s champion juvenile, the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt beat just two rivals home in the Newmarket Classic on his reappearance last month, but in a performance reminiscent of the exploits of his stablemate Auguste Rodin (Deep Impact) 12 months earlier, despair at Newmarket turned to joy at Epsom.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, City Of Troy, who was sent off the 3-1 favourite, finished two and a three-quarter lengths clear of the runner up Ambiente Friendly (Gleneagles), with the winner’s previously unbeaten stablemate Los Angeles (Camelot) a further three and a quarter lengths away in third.
In winning the race, City Of Troy provided O’Brien with a recording-extending tenth Derby success and Moore with his fourth as the Coolmore-owned colt became the first European Classic winner for the breeding behemoth’s latest stallion sensation Justify (Scat Daddy).
O’Brien’s first Derby success came with Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) back in 2001 and it was that breed shaper, who subsequently sired a record five winners of the race, the trainer was quick to draw parallels to when showing in how high a regard he holds the stock of former Coolmore shuttler Justify.
“Justify is an amazing horse,” the trainer said in the immediate aftermath of the Epsom Classic.
“We had the great stallion in Galileo, but Justifys are Galileo’s with more class, which is a very hard thing to say. But we see it every day with the minds and they are quicker than Galileos, which makes them unbelievably exciting for us.”
With Voyage (Golden Horn) unseating his rider Pat Dobbs shortly after the start, it was the loose horse that gave Moore most concern late in the race after he waited patiently before creeping through the field and hitting the front over two furlongs from home.
“It was sensational,” the winning rider said of Saturday’s performance. “He was going to win very easily and then with the loose horse in front of him, he was still a bit unsure, but he galloped out strong.
“He quickened well and kind of waited so you’d have to be delighted with what happened today [Saturday].”
O’Brien added: “It’s so great for everybody, so many people all the way along, they all make it happen. Ryan gave him an incredible ride. So grateful to everyone and all the team.
“We knew that the Guineas went totally wrong. I made mistakes training him and that’s the bottom line and we discussed it before it, there were stones I didn’t look under that I should have.
“He was too fresh, he was underprepared and he blew up in the stalls. It’s just the reality of it. We all know the facts and we speak about them all the time and we learn from it. We knew the ability he had, I left him too fresh into the Guineas and he just wasn’t prepared properly but since then everything has been beautiful.
“And the beautiful thing about it, Ryan said he was very green and very babyish through the race, he said he went there and couldn’t believe how green he was.”
Bred in the purple by Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt, City Of Troy is out of Fillies’ Mile (Gr 1, 1m) winner Together Forever (Galileo), making him a brother to Unbelievable, who has been placed in Group 3 company in Hong Kong, while he is also a half-brother to Group 3 scorer Military Style (War Front) and stakes-placed duo Absolute Ruler (War Front) and King Of Athens.
Together Forever herself is a sister to Epsom Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Forever Together (Galileo), while she is also a half-sister to French Group 1 winner Lord Shanakill (Speightstown).
Being out of a daughter of Galileo, City Of Troy is one of five stakes winners bred on that cross.
US Triple Crown hero Justify’s 36 southern hemisphere bred winners are headed by Group 2-winning pair Learning To Fly and Storm Boy, with the latter set to join the Coolmore Australia roster at the conclusion of his racing career.
Justify will not return to Coolmore’s Australia base in 2024, but will be available to cover a small pool of mares on southern hemisphere time. The stallion is currently covering his sixth book of mares at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky for a private fee.