Timeform Awards: Leading 2YO - City of Troy

WINNER: CITY OF TROY (Timeform rating: 125p)

Pedigree Details

Sire: Justify

Dam: Together Forever

Dam’s sire: Galileo

Breeder: Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt

Foaled: March 7, 2021

2023 Race Record & Fact file

Races: 3

Wins: 3

Major wins: Superlative Stakes, Dewhurst Stakes

Owner: Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien

Principal Rider: Ryan Moore

City of Troy provided his trainer Aidan O’Brien with a record-equalling eighth success in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October. The Dewhurst is often the race which effectively crowns the season’s top two-year-old colt and that was the case this season, as it had been for three of Ballydoyle’s earlier Dewhurst winners Air Force Blue (2015), U S Navy Flag (2017) and St Mark’s Basilica (2020). But while being champion two-year-old might read well on the CV of a future stallion, in practice it only gives a colt temporary bragging rights over the winter before they have to prove themselves all over again in the following spring’s classics.

That’s something which Air Force Blue, the highest rated of O’Brien’s Dewhurst winners (128p) singularly failed to do, beating only one home in the 2000 Guineas, for which he was sent off at odds on, and faring no better in the Irish 2000 Guineas. U S Navy Flag was runner-up in the Irish 2000 Guineas but was better suited by a return to sprinting, winning the July Cup. St Mark’s Basilica enjoyed one of the most successful three-year-old campaigns of O’Brien’s former Dewhurst winners, making into a top-class colt with victories in both colts’ classics in France, the Eclipse and the Irish Champion Stakes.

Two of O’Brien’s other Dewhurst winners trained on to win classics, namely 2001 winner Rock of Gibraltar whose Guineas double at Newmarket and the Curragh started a run of five consecutive Group 1 mile contests at three, and 2016 winner Churchill who completed the same Guineas double.

City of Troy must have first-rate prospects of training on to win a classic himself. For a start, he has a higher rating than all bar Air Force Blue among previous Ballydoyle winners, though as that colt’s disappointing three-year-old campaign shows, that in itself is no guarantee of future success. But City of Troy has a rather different profile from all of his stable’s previous winners. He’s the only one to remain unbeaten at two – War Command, Air Force Blue and Churchill were all beaten once at two – and he’s had only three starts. All of O’Brien’s other Dewhurst winners ran at least five times at two, while both Beethoven and U S Navy Flag won it on their tenth start in 11-race campaigns.

The first Dewhurst winner since Shamardal in 2004 to race only three times at two, that makes City of Troy a particularly exciting prospect with scope for further improvement at three. It almost goes without saying that City of Troy made big strides to reach the top of his generation after just three starts but he ran to a big figure for a newcomer on his debut in a maiden at the Curragh at the beginning of July, earning the Timeform ‘large P’ symbol – denoting that he was expected to make above-average improvement – on top of a rating of 102.

Sent off the 6/4 favourite in a field of 13, City of Troy led at halfway and asserted inside the final furlong before staying on well, so well in fact that Ryan Moore had trouble pulling him up after crossing the line at the end of the track. It was only a fortnight later before City of Troy was stepped up to Group 2 company for the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket where he put up the best performance in the race’s history against a field of eight rivals, four of whom had run at Royal Ascot.

Backed down to 4/6 this time, City of Troy fully confirmed the promise he’d shown on his debut and looked a two-year-old out of the top drawer with the way he travelled through the race before again looking particularly strong at the business end of the race when he stormed clear, passing the post six and a half lengths to the good over Haatem who’d finished fifth in the Coventry Stakes on his previous start and went on to win the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood on his next outing.

The Superlative had been won two years earlier by Native Trail who himself went on to win the Dewhurst after taking in the National Stakes in between. City of Troy was declared for the same race but taken out when the ground softened at the Curragh, leaving stablemate Henry Longfellow to take the prize for Ballydoyle instead. As a result City of Troy went straight for the Dewhurst after a three-month break where he faced seven rivals as the 8/15 favourite.

Haatem was among his opponents again but started the outsider, with the Champagne Stakes winner Iberian and Somerville Tattersall Stakes winner Alyanaabi the only others at single-figure odds. Conditions were on the soft side again (albeit not as testing as the official ‘soft’), as they had been for the Superlative, but despite being a really fluent mover, that mattered little to City of Troy who travelled strongly in the lead before again staying on strongly when shaken up to win impressively by three and a half lengths from the keeping-on Alyanaabi. He’ll be very hard to beat back at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas where the extra furlong is sure to suit.

City of Troy comes from the second crop of the 2018 US Triple Crown winner Justify who had a terrific year all round with his youngsters who were successful both on turf and dirt, his other notable winners from the same crop including France’s top two-year-old filly Ramatuelle and the American fillies Just F Y I and Hard To Justify who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies contests on the two surfaces.

Coolmore are reaping the rewards now from their Group 1-winning fillies becoming successful broodmares. Derby winner Auguste Rodin, out of Rhododendron, is a good example, and like him, City of Troy is out of a Fillies’ Mile winner by Galileo, Together Forever. She met trouble in running in her Oaks attempt but her sister Forever Together had better luck in the same contest, gaining her only career success at Epsom, in fact. There’s certainly enough stamina on City of Troy’s dam’s side, therefore, to make a Derby bid a strong possibility after the Guineas.

RUNNER-UP: HENRY LONGFELLOW (120p)

Pedigree Details

Sire: Dubawi

Dam: Minding

Dam’s sire: Galileo

Breeder: Coolmore

Foaled: January 28, 2021

2023 Race Record & Fact file

Races: 3

Wins: 3

Major wins: Futurity Stakes, National Stakes

Owner: Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, John Magnier

Trainer: Aidan O'Brien

Principal Rider: Ryan Moore

Henry Longfellow is bred to be special as he's the first foal out of the multiple Group 1 winner Minding to make it to the track. Minding won a remarkable seven Group 1s during her career, including five as a three-year-old when she became the first filly in 14 years to win the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks.

Henry Longfellow, who is by Dubawi and bred to be suited by at least a mile and a quarter, will also have classics on his agenda after winning all three starts as a juvenile, including the Group 1 National Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh on his final start of the campaign.

He pulled five lengths clear of Islandsinthestream, extending his superiority over a rival he had beaten by a couple of lengths in the Futurity Stakes a few weeks earlier. Islandsinthestream would go on to give the form a boost by landing a valuable sales race at Longchamp on Arc weekend and then finishing a neck second in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

THIRD: VANDEEK (119p)

Pedigree Details

Sire: Havana Grey

Dam: Mosa Mine

Dam’s sire: Exceed And Excel

Breeder: Maywood Stud

Foaled: April 19, 2021

2023 Race Record & Fact file

Races: 4

Wins: 4

Major wins: Richmond Stakes, Prix Morny, Middle Park Stakes

Owner: KHK Racing Ltd

Trainer: Simon & Ed Crisford

Principal Rider: Andrea Atzeni

Vandeek made giant strides in a short space of time as a juvenile as he followed his debut win in a Nottingham maiden with further victories in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and Group 1 Prix Morny, all in the space of a month.

Vandeek did well to win the Prix Morny as he briefly had to wait for a gap while the short-price favourite, Ramatuelle, was in full flight, leaving the impression there was better to come under the right circumstances. He duly raised his game again to double his Group 1 tally in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket, quickening two and a quarter lengths clear in impressive fashion and scoring with plenty in hand.

Vandeek, who is by a sprinter in Havana Grey, showed so much speed at two that he looks unlikely to stay a mile, which makes the Commonwealth Cup over six furlongs at Royal Ascot an obvious early-season target in 2024.

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