Dewhurst Stakes analysis as City Of Troy announces himself as racing's next big thing

Saturday Reports

• City Of Troy stunning in Dewhurst
• Aidan O'Brien: 'He's the best 2yo I've trained'
• The Shunter lands Cesarewitch
• Arabian Crown in Derby frame
• Sparkling Wisdom slashed for Classics

“He is, obviously,” Aidan O’Brien says when asked if City Of Troy is the best two-year-old he has ever trained, in the immediate seconds after racing’s bright new thing gloriously ran away with the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile in tremendous style.

The thing is, it is obvious, which says everything. O’Brien is a man that has now won eight Dewhursts, 12 National Stakes, 11 Vertem Futurity Trophies, eight Prix Jean-Luc Lagarderes and seven Middle Parks, all Group 1 juvenile races, so there is a significant pool to pick from, but City Of Troy is quite clearly the most talented and exciting juvenile O’Brien has ever trained.

He suggested as much in the Superlative Stakes in July, also at Newmarket on the other course, when he powered away from his field by over six lengths, marking himself out as an elite juvenile at that stage. Three months later he has proven himself as an elite two-year-old full stop, showcasing a mouthwatering combination of grace and thunder to mock a good Dewhurst line-up who were left trailing three-and-a-half lengths and more in his wake.

It felt like it could’ve been more, but to beat these horses in the style that he did marks him out as a very special talent indeed.

In second there was Alyanaabi, a Too Darn Hot colt who was good enough to win the Tattersalls Stakes over the course and distance from the most unpromising of positions two weeks ago. Six lengths adrift in fourth was stablemate Henry Adams, good enough to finish three-and-a-half lengths off Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp last time out. Beaten nine lengths in sixth was Iberian, the Champagne Stakes winner who will have had no bother with the soft conditions. The Mill Reef winner, Array, was seventh.

Haatem even tried his luck again, beaten six-and-a-half-lengths by City Of Troy in the Superlative, he was a further two lengths adrift on Saturday, another indication of the son of Justify’s improvement. And he did look even better, Ryan Moore jumping out positively and grabbing the race by the scruff of the neck within seconds of the stalls opening, any notions that Henry Adams was in there as a pacemaker quickly dispelled.

“Did you see the movement on him? He’d absolutely hate that ground,” O’Brien adds, sporting a sunglasses and flat cap combo, visibly excited in the autumn sun. “He hasn’t got tractor tyres but he has got a jet engine and the engine just powers his action through.”

Now, it’s easy to recall some of O’Brien’s sometimes over-enthusiastic quotes from years gone by at this point, the hype machine with commercial interests in mind. Talk of aeroplanes and natural speed have been commonplace, and while sometimes you have to cut through the noise and take a more pragmatic assessment it is not the case with City Of Troy.

The way he went about his business, the high cruising speed, the fluent action – he hardly looked like he hated the ground – the power, the acceleration, this horse has got the lot. And the scary thing is, with his breeding, by Justify out of the Galileo mare Together Forever, he should be even better next year at three when he goes a bit further. It’s a frightening prospect.

Over an hour after the Dewhurst the antepost markets were settling down. City Of Troy is a general even-money for the 2000 Guineas next May and 5/2 for the Derby in June. My own natural instinct is to be wary of such short prices for races seven months and more away, but not in this case. He’s just too good for contrariness and if he’s fit and well come the spring he looks unstoppable.

Could he be the best O’Brien has ever trained? You wouldn’t say ‘yes, obviously’ so quickly to this question, but he could be. Hawk Wing (136), Galileo (134) and Rip Van Winkle (134) are the top three O’Brien horses by Timeform rating, but he hasn’t had a 140+ like a Frankel (147), a Flightline (143), a Sea The Stars (140) or even a Harbinger (140).

This horse could be the one. And while the Guineas and the Derby will likely be his first tests, even more exciting targets come onto the horizon after that. Could he even tackle the dirt in a Breeders’ Cup Classic? I’m getting way ahead of myself, I know, but if you can’t get excited about a horse like this in the autumn sun then when can you get excited?

WATCH: City Of Troy romps to dazzling Dewhurst success

Bringing things back to a steady tempo, there was an important strand of form missing here. The Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes. Very unusual for this race not to be represented in the Dewhurst. A total of 10 Dewhurst winners have come from the National Stakes since 2006, with seven doing the double.

Of course, City Of Troy was meant to run in the National Stakes, but was a late withdrawal due to the softer ground. That looks nonsense now, but O’Brien did have Henry Longfellow for that race, another highly exciting juvenile who is second favourite for the Guineas and second favourite for the Derby. It’s fair to say O’Brien has a steely grip on the antepost Classic markets.

Native Trail, a horse who so kindly sponsored the Dewhurst, was the last to do the Superlative-Dewhurst double – and he won the National Stakes in between. Godolphin had a few good years with their juveniles, the competition perhaps keeping Coolmore focused as they began the post-Galileo era by sending Galileo mares to US Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.

The tables have turned again, it seems, and though an average season for Godolphin’s juveniles was markedly improved by wins for Dance Sequence, Ancient Wisdom and Arabian Crown at Newmarket on Future Champions Weekend, all the talk is about one horse. Obviously.

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