It hasn’t always been easy, but by hook or by crook City of Troy has found a way to become another multiple-time Group One winner for Aidan O’Brien and the Magnier, Smith and Tabor ownership team.
Victories in the Epsom Derby and Coral-Eclipse have cemented the three-year-old’s legacy as one of the finest horses in training – O’Brien himself has labelled City of Troy as the best of his ten Derby winners.
That’s no small praise, and while the colt will have opportunities to extend his fine record on British soil before the end of the Flat racing season in 2024, it’s a potential trip to the United States for the Breeders’ Cup that could provide the horse with a fitting finale to his campaign.
Getting the Job Done
Although much will depend on the weather, and the ground conditions, as to how City of Troy’s diary will shape up over the coming months, it’s likely that he will have a busy conclusion to his domestic season.
He was the strong favorite at odds of -175 for the Juddmonte International as part of the York races betting, ahead of King Edward II Stakes winner Calandagan (+550), and York Stakes champion Alflaila (+800).
The horse racing tips columns considered City of Troy to be an unbeatable force in that race, which will be followed – weather and fitness permitting – by a tilt at the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
🏆 That's how you bounce back in style!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 1, 2024
City of Troy wins the Betfred Derby#ITVRacing | #EpsomDerby pic.twitter.com/yKzYaTykeQ
And then will come the fitting crescendo on British Champions Day (October 19). The Ascot showpiece crowns the best in the business in the various disciplines, with City of Troy expected to run in the Champion Stakes – the winner of that race is considered the finest Flat horse on UK and Irish soil.
Come through all of those engagements unscathed, and the three-year-old could be heading Stateside at the tail end of 2024… American Adventure
Either the Breeders’ Cup Classic or Turf races may well be on the agenda, with City of Troy comfortably covering the one-mile-and-a-bit distance that those renewals demand.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic is considered by many to be the premier thoroughbred race held on American soil, so it comes as no shock to learn that the most prolific trainers and owners gear their best horses for the November race.
But that’s not to underplay the prestige of the Breeders’ Cup Turf, which happens to boast one of the most lucrative prizes in horse racing – a total purse of some $5 million.
The Turf is a race in which O’Brien and his stellar ownership team have enjoyed plenty of success in – with a handsome five wins since 2011 alone.
REPLAY: Auguste Rodin (IRE) wins the $4 Million @LonginesEq #BreedersCup Turf! Congrats to all connections! #BC23 pic.twitter.com/7Ob6wtFN9i
— Breeders' Cup (@BreedersCup) November 4, 2023
Amongst that rollcall of champions has been Highland Reel, the irrepressible filly Found, and the 2023 winner Auguste Rodin, who lived up to his billing as the pre-race favorite to hold off the challenge of horses from the United States and Japan.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf is a race that has been kind to O’Brien; he’s yet to crack the code of the Classic, however. Will he point City of Troy at his happy hunting ground, or instead try to land a maiden victory in the Classic with his remarkable star?
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