City Of Troy winning at York© Photo Healy Racing
John Oxx, trainer of the great Sea The Stars, feels this could be the perfect year for Aidan O’Brien to finally crack the Breeders’ Cup Classic with City Of Troy.
Having won the Derby, Eclipse and Juddmonte International, breaking Sea The Stars’ track record in the latter, O’Brien and the Coolmore partners see him as the perfect horse to take on the best of America on dirt.
His sire is American Triple Crown winner Justify which gives hope he will take to the dirt surface, and Oxx is of the opinion there is no real standout horse in the States this year.
Sea The Stars was retired after winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2009 rather than head to the Breeders’ Cup and at the time, that year’s host Santa Anita had laid a Polytrack surface, which is similar to the all-weather tracks in Europe.
“The owner was never really that interested in going and because of having had Urban Sea (Sea The Stars’ dam who won the Arc), we were always going for the Arc,” said Oxx.
“I did leave it open because I didn’t want to insult the Breeders’ Cup people, who do a great job, by saying we had no interest. That year it was in Santa Anita on the Pro-Ride that John Gosden’s Raven’s Pass beat Henrythenavigator on to give Europe a one-two the year before, so it was on a surface that the turf horses could have taken to.
“So that is why we in theory we left it open, but once he’d won all those six races, including the Arc, enough was enough we felt.”
While Justify is proving himself as a versatile stallion producing top dirt and turf horses, City Of Troy’s dam, Together Forever, was a turf horse.
He is currently a best-priced 7-2 favourite for Del Mar, ahead of the Todd Pletcher-trained Fierceness, who has bounced back from Kentucky Derby disappointment to twice get his head in front, most recently in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga that was once mooted as a possible target for City Of Troy. Next in the market is Japan’s Forever Young, who has not run since his excellent third to Mystik Dan at Churchill Downs.
“City Of Troy is half-dirt bred whereas Giant’s Causeway (beaten a nose in the Classic for O’Brien) had it on both sides, his dam was a very good performer on the dirt. Johannesburg (winner of the Juvenile on dirt) had it on both sides too,” said Oxx.
“It’s something Coolmore are very keen to do and it is something John Magnier is keen to show, that stallions can get both types.
“This year there is no outstanding three-year-old and the four-year-old division is weak, so it is probably the year to try it.
“He’s been an interesting horse to watch all right, and a pretty good one too. It will be interesting to see how it goes.”
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