In the early Wednesday morning bustle at the Ballydoyle racecourse, City of Troy, a yet inconspicuous brown horse, stood out with his unique blend of black mane and grey tail. “It’s rather unusual,” Aidan O’Brien, well-known trainer, noted. Having seen countless racehorses in his 28-year career at the world’s most prestigious training academy, O’Brien recognises something special in the unbeaten champion.
City of Troy’s uniqueness is not just physical; his slated itinerary also diverges from the norm, with key races including the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in May, followed by the Epsom Derby in June. However, the deviation comes when he will participate in the Travers Stakes on the sandy tracks of Saratoga, New York.
Coolmore ownership, assured of the supernatural prowess of City Of Troy, aims to showcase this talent across the globe, confident he can excel given any turf, length, or continent. Their ambition is simple – to transform City Of Troy into a racing legend.
Michael Tabor, a member of the ownership team, branded City of Troy as “our own version of Frankel” after his phenomenal victory in October’s Dewhurst Stakes in Newmarket. Instead of detracting from the pressure, O’Brien embraced it and amplified the hype, suggesting there’s more than marketing at play here.
The offspring of US-based Justify, City of Troy’s exceptional nature was apparent from the start, and the recent wet winter has only compounded expectations. On Wednesday morning, as the horse walked and trotted along, leading the group was the Classic victor from the previous year, Auguste Rodin. Poised to embark on his four-year-old campaign in Dubai later in the month, this dual-Derby, Champion Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup hero provides a fitting mentor for City Of Troy’s potentially staggering future.
City Of Troy may not yet hold the same regard as the illustrious Frankel and Sea The Stars, champions of this era, but Coolmore is banking on him surpassing Auguste Rodin in the prestige race. The wager includes Ballydoyle trainer, O’Brien, a 54-year-old maestro who has redefined the parameters of equestrian success during his near-thirty-year tenure. He has sculpted raw Coolmore stock into champion material, like Galileo, successful on the circuit and ultimately a financial treasure at the stud, and the sire to Frankel. However, even with Galileo’s success, the best rated horse O’Brien has managed remains Hawk Wing, an outstanding performer at Newbury 21 years prior, although it never sought iconic status.
Possibly the only horse O’Brien has had that could lay claim to such illustrious ranking is the venerable steeplechaser, Istabraq. Yet, the idea of such a unique figure on the flat racing circuit would be a fitting crown to O’Brien’s established career.
Nobody understands more than O’Brien how spring can bring unpredictable changes to the Classic scenario. Paddington clinched a handicap at Naas around the same period in 2023 before advancing to secure five Group One victories. With approximately seven weeks left until the Newmarket Guineas, there is much room for happenstance.
Wednesday brought worries of upcoming workouts for City Of Troy and other prime three-year-old hopefuls at Naas potentially being disrupted due to bad weather. Naas is currently in unsuitable racing condition, with up to 25mm of rainfall predicted. Even City Of Troy might be daunted by this.
According to O’Brien, City Of Troy has a distinct training style, especially in suboptimal ground conditions. Despite the deep and unsavoury terrain, the horse impressively powers on. He improved considerably over winter and despite his medium appearance, his true size is only evident up close, a characteristic of a greatly proportioned horse.
The enthusiasm of John Magnier and his team to put their thoroughbred to the test is evident, they willingly took the chance with the Guineas, ready to elevate to a Derby of a mile and a half, and then scale down to 10 furlongs for the Travers on dirt.
O’Brien’s 2024 season thus far shows a unique global acumen. In January, Warm Heart secured a prestigious victory in Florida, swiftly followed by O’Brien’s inaugural triumph in Saudi Arabia. The win, courtesy of Tower Of London, came in a $2.5m handicap race. In a much-anticipated event, Aguste Rodin is set to race against Japan’s esteemed Liberty Island in the Sheema Classic, without attending Meydan alone.
According to O’Brien, “The equestrian world has considerably shrunk, which is advantageous. Horses now have the capacity to assemble and race collectively. Consequently, they can all be categorised and handicapped effectively.”
In normal circumstances, other hopefuls from Ballydoyle, such as Henry Longfellow and River Tiber, would anticipate a portion of the Classic spotlight. However, should this unique colt with a remarkable tail fail to top the season’s rating lists, it would be rather unlike the expected outcome.