All roads lead to Del Mar for City Of Troy after Southwell gallop
All roads lead to the Breeders' Cup Classic for City Of Troy after Friday's racecourse gallop at Southwell.
Over 1500 racing fans were in attendance to see Aidan O’Brien’s Derby hero and he came home to a standing ovation from the crowd as he pulled well clear of his work companions under Ryan Moore (watch the gallop in full below). O’Brien confirmed this would be “his last good piece of work” before heading to America in an attempt to do what no horse from Ballydoyle has done before and bring the Breeders’ Cup Classic back to Ireland.
O’Brien has described this horse as “different” since day one and his confidence in the son of Justify has not wavered. When asked if City Of Troy represents his best ever chance of winning the Classic, he simply replied: "He is."
Comparing him to those who have tried, and failed, O’Brien added: “We thought he was our best chance of winning the Classic since Giant’s Causeway, and we thought he was a bit more classy than Giant’s Causeway. Giant’s Causeway was very dour, but this horse has a little bit more of a touch of class.
“We’ve tried to prepare him for a (Breeders’ Cup) Classic, we’ve never won it and know how tough it is. When he came along we felt that he was the horse that could make it happen."
What do the experts say?
In the race itself, a Timform master rating of 130p leaves him three pounds clear of top US-trained challenger Fierceness (127), who won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga last month.
Second and third place finishers from the Kentucky Derby, Sierra Leone and the Japanese-trained Forever Young, are both rated eight pounds below City Of Troy on 122.
However, City Of Troy is rated inferior to a clutch of former stablemates who had unsuccessful tilts at the Classic, including Rip Van Winkle (134), Galileo (133), Henrythenavigator (131) and So You Think (131).
O’Brien’s previous best finish came with his first ever Classic runner, when Giant’s Causeway finished a neck second to Tiznow at Churchill Downs in 2000, and incidentally he held the same rating of 130 heading into the race as City Of Troy.
This year's representative does also hold a Timeform ‘p’ next to his rating, which indicates that further improvement is highly likely from the colt.
Timeform handicapper Jake Price said: “With the home team lacking an outstanding runner in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, this could be the golden opportunity Aidan O’Brien has been looking for to gain a first success in America’s premier all-age dirt race with City Of Troy.
"Beaten just once from seven starts, his Timeform rating of 130p puts him ahead of his expected rivals for the race, headed by Travers Stakes winner Fierceness who is rated 127.
"Whilst we won’t know how City of Troy will handle this very different test, there are reasons to be confident on that score. He’s by US Triple Crown winner Justify, who’s already making waves at stud including siring the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies last year, he has proven battling qualities and can make the running – similar tactics will lessen the negative effect of ‘kick back’ on the dirt. The short straight at Del Mar will also prove an advantage should he be able to employ that running style once again."
Verdict from our work watcher
Our resident paddock expert and Punting Pointers guru Dave Massey was at the track and liked what he saw in the parade ring, saying: "I’ve seen City Of Troy two or three times this year. First time out at Newmarket he was nowhere near the finished article but since then at Epsom he’d come on a bundle, he looked a different horse, and it was the same at York.
"He’s not a big horse but he’s become more robust and today in the paddock he looked absolutely spot on. I would say that’s the best I’ve seen him.”
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