O’Brien’s City Of Troy marches to exciting debut success

Gary Carson
July 1, 2023 1:19 pm

Ballydoyle trainer left to wax lyrical over son of Triple Crown winner Justify.

City Of Troy could have an exciting future having made an impressive debut at the Curragh on Saturday.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained two-year-old is a son of Justify out of a Group One-winning Coolmore mare and produced a performance befitting of his regal breeding when sent off the 6-4 favourite for the seven-furlong Barronstown Stud Irish EBF (C & G) Maiden.

Always close to the pace in the hands of Ryan Moore, he extended clear to register a two-and-a-half-length victory in an extremely professional manner when asked by his rider, with the nature of the success enough to see the colt introduced into next year’s 2000 Guineas market at 16-1 by Coral and Betfair.

City Of Troy powers clear under Ryan Moore (Brian Lawless/PA)

O’Brien said: “Ryan was delighted with him. He said he was very frightened going past the winning post – he said it’s the first time he’s ever rode a two-year-old that he thought wasn’t going to pull up.

“He said going to the winning post he just started to get longer and longer in his stride and galloped down to the boards. He gave him a lovely ride.

“He has a big ,long stride and he’s relentless really. I’m delighted with him.

“He has great presence. We had his brother last year, Bertinelli, and he was a very big horse who we thought was going to be a three- or four-year-old, but this horse is made like a two- or three-year-old.

“He’s a medium-sized horse with a giant stride. He’s very unusual, his stride is kind of twice the length of his body. When he started to extend inside the furlong marker, his stride is getting longer and longer – that’s very rare.

“That’s what Justify had as well, his stride was so long and it made him very different. That’s what they (his progeny) have as well and that’s why the big ones take a bit of time.

“They are very good movers and Justify had speed as well as stamina. He’s matching great with the European mares.”

He added: “Ryan said you can go anywhere you want with him and go as far as you want.

“Obviously we have other horses to consider, but he’ll go into one of those seven-furlong races next and it depends on how far the lads want to go with him, whether they want to go up to a mile with him this year or not.”