Last year’s Champion European 2YO Colt and this year’s Epsom Derby winner, City of Troy is a horse that carries a lot of hype wherever he goes and the show rolled into Sandown overnight for the Group I Coral Eclipse Stakes (1m2f) and he duly took the prize although a son of Wootton Bassett made him earn it.
The soft conditions underfoot were seen as less than ideal for the Aidian O’Brien trained Justify colt, but class carried him through and with a determined ride from Ryan Moore he got the job done winning by a length over four year-old Wootton Bassett stallion Al Riffa, trained by Joseph O’Brien.
“City of Troy is a beautiful, good-ground horse and a real fast-ground mover so he's won today despite the ground. It was proper soft ground today, softer than when he won the Dewhurst last season. It was tough today and it was specialist ground,” said Aidan O’Brien.
“It didn't really go according to plan but in the end I think he won pretty easily.
“I imagine 'The Lads' will now look at the Juddmonte or Irish Champion Stakes before looking at America where he could finish up in the Breeders' Cup Classic - that's what he's bred to be.”
City of Troy has now won five of six starts and as a Group I winner at two over 7f, an Epsom Derby winner at the classic distance and now a winner at WFA over older rivals is the consummate racehorse, but John Magnier believes there is more to come.
Bred and raced by the Coolmore partners, City of Troy is a half-brother to Group III winner Military Style and is the best of five winners that all have Black Type from five to race from Group I winning Galileo mare Together Forever, a full sister to Group I Epsom Oaks winner Forever Together and half-sister to Group I winner Lord Shanakill.
City of Troy is the best of 31 stakes-winners by Justify and is one of five bred from daughters of Galileo with that nick running at 10% SW to runner,
Justify covered 188 mares in Australia last spring at a fee of $77,000, but will remain in Kentucky this year.
