Undeniably, the Classic victories by unexpected contenders at Newmarket over the weekend ruffled some feathers. One significant underperformer for Aidan O’Brien’s Coolmore team was City Of Troy, a horse heralded as “our Frankel”. Over the weekend, City Of Troy fell short in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas, finishing ahead of just two others in the colts’ Classic. Notable Speech, from Godolphin’s unbeaten team, took the winner’s spot, leaving O’Brien in utter disbelief.
The tide turned somewhat favourably for Ballydoyle on Sunday as Ylang Ylang showed grit, finishing fifth to Elmalka, the 28-1 outsider in the 1,000. Jockey Silvestre De Sousa, in his first English Classic victory, was all that stood in the way of Donnacha O’Brien claiming his inaugural English Classic title as a trainer. A thrilling finale saw Porta Fortuna denied the top spot by a neck and France’s Ramatuelle, who seemed set to clinch the win, eventually relegated to third place.
De Sousa, originally from Brazil, was a triple-champion jockey in Britain prior to his relocation to Hong Kong. His career there was interrupted by a 10-month hiatus for contravening betting regulations, but he made a return this past March.
However, much of the discussion surrounding the season’s inaugural Classics pivoted on City Of Troy’s disappointing performance. Though there’s nothing novel about two-year-old champions being touted as the new hopes of racing, City Of Troy did not meet expectations. This echoes the fate of Apalachee half a century ago; the highly-fancied horse failed to win the Guineas and thereafter disappeared from racing, yet he at least made it to the end of the race. City Of Troy, however, had already lost by the halfway point.
It bore resemblance to the dismal performances of previous Ballydoyle horses like Air Force One, One Cool Cat, and possibly even Auguste Rodin from the previous year. While O’Brien has a history of salvaging the reputations of his horses, such as previous Guineas flop later achieving success in both Derby and Breeders’ Cup, it may be a tall order even for someone of his calibre to perform such a feat two years in a row.
Regardless of his capabilities – and there are evidently sufficient believers backing City Of Troy, a 7-1 contender for the upcoming Derby – the prodigious expectation that City Of Troy could prove to be a generation-defining champion has definitively burst. An inherent aspect of being a universally recognised supreme champion, like Frankel, is the absence of a need for excuses. Interestingly, there appeared to be a scarcity of them after the Sunday race, with O’Brien’s brief “seems fine” update on the colt’s health status.
O’Brien didn’t try to disguise his shock at the dismal performance immediately following the race. He openly spoke of the horse’s unusual behaviour prior to the race which led to his mediocre performance. His candid commentary included, “It definitely wasn’t his best performance, we’ll need to investigate what transpired and why it occurred.”
His transformation of Auguste Rodin from a Guineas failure to a Derby victor in merely a month may well be recognized as the crowning achievement in O’Brien’s distinguished career. Only the naive would doubt his ability to mould City Of Troy into a formidable Classic contender. However, the probability of this should possibly be lengthier than the prediction before Saturday of City Of Troy eventually earning a Triple Crown title. Critics may even speculate that a superior wager might be a repetition of the Apalachee pathway to stud.
These thoughts were insignificant to the Elmalka’s team: De Sousa and Newmarket’s trainer, Roger Varian. After a late start in Guineas, Elmalka, who triumphed in her Southwell debut in November, demonstrated her superior strength in the final moments. Elmalka came in third few weeks prior in Newbury’s Fred Darling under James Doyle. However, his profitable agreement with Wathnan Racing had him racing in France on Sunday. De Sousa’s availability as a freelancer came in advantageous this time.
Delighted by opportunities he’s been granted, De Sousa admitted, “I’ve been riding lovely horses for Roger both in the mornings and afternoons. I’m immensely gratified with the chances I’ve been given”.
“I’ve continually exerted myself behind closed doors and continue to possess the ability for it. I’ve kept at it, resolving to gauge the season’s progress. It’s astounding, I’ve been aspiring to secure a Classic victory for an extended period, so achieving one is a significant triumph.
Approaching the dip, I could distinguish that the horses ahead were not outpacing me and I was optimistic that on hitting the uphill terrain she would surge,” shared the 43-year-old, who first started working in Europe as a work rider for Dermot Weld back in 2004.
A positive outcome for Ballydoyle following the Guineas event over the weekend was the advancement of Ylang Ylang to Oaks favourite after her gutsy performance. It’s uncertain if she will be accompanied in Epsom by City of Troy, but time will tell.”