Justifying the hype on the Knavesmire
The performance of a champion
If you traverse the treacherous landscape that is ‘Racing Twitter’, you will be well aware of just how divisive the City Of Troy debate has become. He is either the most overrated horse of the century that is nowhere close to deserving of his ‘inflated’ Timeform rating. Or he is the second coming of Frankel and our eyes are blessed to witness his greatness in real time. There is no between when engagement farming on social media.
However, we believe it is important to, with a level head, put into context just what City Of Troy has achieved as, whether you like it or not, this horse does define a generation and possibly many generations to come. The funny thing is, considering what we laid out in the first paragraph, is that both sides carry some valid arguments, so he probably lies somewhere in the middle. But a balanced approach wouldn’t generate much engagement now, would it?
So, on the back of a disappointing, subpar victory in the Coral Eclipse at Sandown, if you can really call a Group 1 victory disappointing, City Of Troy dominated the discussion leading up to York’s Ebor Meeting. The Justify three-year-old lined up in a stacked edition of the Juddmonte International, a race with a rich history where champions are crowned. Taking on Aidan O’Brien’s stable star was the Derby runner-up, the King Edward VII winner, an in-form Group 1 filly, the Queen Anne runner-up, the Prince Of Wales’s runner-up, the York Stakes winner, the Sussex runner-up and a Japanese raider to boot. And breathe. The race had just four runners last year, and an average field size of 6.5 runners for the last seven years, so this was an extremely deep renewal for it’s largest ever field.
Hans Andersen for the Ballydoyle team was assumed to take on his regular role as team pacemaker (poor Hans Andersen!) but Ryan Moore perhaps shocked the rest of the jockeys when immediately taking it up on the favourite and making the running. Ryan Moore, as is just standard for him now, gave him an absolute peach. He was fairly quick out early, but fairly steadied the pace down after the first two furlongs and as a result, plenty of the horses in the field were very keen, Derby foe Ambiente Friendly especially so, almost pulling Rab Havlin’s arms out of their sockets). As he so often does, Moore began to wind it up and lift the tempo early in the straight. After travelling so sweetly through the contest, the three-year-old injected an impressive turn of pace and quickly got away from the main protagonists. The French raider, Calandagan, put in a monster final two furlongs as he stayed on from the rear, coming wide, but as it looked like he may get to City Of Troy, he found that extra gear to keep him at bay. He once again showed that dogged, determined attitude in the closing stages once faced with a challenge, and he perhaps hasn’t been credited with the toughness that he possesses.
So now to put into context. He was handed a 129 RPR and a 130p Timeform rating for his victory at York last Tuesday. Beating Calandagan, officially rated 117, a length barely justifies that sort of rating, but it is important to note that the official handicapper was probably way behind on the mightily progressive three-year-old. The gelding had won two Group 3s before routing the field at Royal Ascot and the lightly raced three-year-old has been a rapid improver. He beat Ghostwriter, who is gradually becoming a solid Group 1 yardstick, further than he had in the Eclipse, whilst also beating Bluestocking six lengths further than Goliath had in the King George a month prior.
It is also worth noting that he broke the track record on the day, this the key argument behind many of his most ardent supporters upholding his greatness. However, this also needs context. The ground was lightning quick, and there was a fairly strong wind behind the field in the straight. As a result, both the second and third also broke the previous record whilst The Lion In Winter broke another course record in the Acomb and 87-rated handicapper Star Of Lady M was within 0.22 seconds of Battaash’s course record. Times are relative therefore, and just because it was the fastest time ever run doesn’t mean it was the best ever run. We surely all agree that Star Of Lady M wouldn’t have sighted Battaash!
The other jockeys must also come in for some criticism in the Juddmonte International. We all know how good Ryan Moore is by now, so surely the rest of the weighing room must be aware to it too. The rest of the field let the best jockey (Moore) on arguably the best horse (City Of Troy) get to the front and completely dictate matters as he liked. Moore could run the race he planned with little to no pushback from the rest of the field, and this meant City Of Troy was put into the best position to succeed on the day. It is explicit now that Ryan Moore is well clear of his weighing room adversaries, but how many pounds extra is having Moore in the saddle really worth?
In conclusion then, it was a mightily impressive performance that must be rightly credited as such. However, it is not quite at that elite, all-time level a la Baaeed’s six-and-a-half length demolition of Mishriff or Frankel effortlessly striding past Farrhh and St Nicholas Abbey in 2012. City Of Troy is a top-class, and tough, Group 1 horse who is the best of his generation but does not belong in the pantheon of all-time greats. We sometimes miss and don’t appreciate fantastic racehorses when they are right in front of us by trying to tear them down or elevate them above those who came before them. Not every horse is the next Frankel, and not every horse has to be. City Of Troy is a superstar who has notched up three straight Group 1s in what has been an excellent campaign, and at the end of the day, that will never be taken away from him. Ratings are often just another person’s opinion; his achievements and victories are the stone-cold facts.
Whilst many now echo the thought that he has to go to the Irish Champion Stakes next to really prove he is a 130+ horse, the most exciting route he can take is the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Countless Coolmore greats have won the Derby, or the Eclipse, or the Irish Champion Stakes. What does City Of Troy really have to gain from beating most likely a similar enough field at the Curragh? Racing should be about reaching for the stars and breaking new ground. Perhaps not rating wise, but City Of Troy can set himself apart by winning the premier race on the dirt at Del Mar, the first Aidan O’Brien horse ever to do so. By rising super-sire Justify, a Group 1 winner at two over seven furlongs, a Derby winner, two all-age Group 1s over ten furlongs in the UK and a Breeders’ Cup Classic on the dirt – now that is what you put on the Stallion Brochure! Not an arbitrary rating achieved at the Curragh. Racing is a spectacle, and City Of Troy at Del Mar sure is that.
Eerily quiet Ebor
Now, I have droned about City Of Troy enough, but the truth is it was an extremely quiet week at York for our Horses To Follow. Outside of the Eclipse, the only other horse from our Horses To Follow to run on the Knavesmire was Elnajmm. William Haggas’ lightly raced four-year-old had returned this season from a gelding operation in mightily progressive form. He was emphatic when bolting up at Newcastle on reappearance, granted a poor enough race outside of the Lincoln runner-up finishing a distant fifth, before overcoming keenness and a troubled passage to win going away at Ascot in July from a 10lb higher mark. The son of Sea The Stars was sent off favourite for the uber-competitive Clipper Handicap on the Thursday at York and was 2lbs well-in under a penalty. The ground was rattling quick, which I don’t think would have suited, and neither would the wide draw in 17 (all of the first five home in single figure draws). Tom Marquand wasn’t overly hard on him once he had hung badly to his left and ran into traffic, so I would be willing to draw a line through the effort. Unfortunately, he does have to race from a 2lb higher mark next time in handicap company, but he still looks to hold bags of potential, still with just the seven career runs under his belt.
His only entry at the moment is the QEII Stakes on Champions Day, and that really would be shooting for the stars, but it does show the esteem to which he is held in at home. I actually wouldn’t mind seeing him step up in trip for his next run, something like the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr towards the end of the month could be a good test to see if he is ready for a step up in class. The yard won the race, for the same owners, with Addeybb back in 2020.
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