Aidan O’Brien when he achieved his 4000th winner while at The Curragh. (Photo By Breandán Ó hUallacháin)
By Breandán Ó hUallacháin
The Dubai Future Champions meeting at Newmarket, England, proved fruitful for Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien, jockey Ryan Moore and the Coolmore partners as they claimed the two Group 1 contests with City of Troy and Ylang Ylang.
The high profile City Of Troy (8/15f), a son of US Triple Crown winner and Ashford Stud stallion Justify, was a highly impressive winner of the Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes for two-year-olds over seven furlongs.
On only the third run of the season, City Of Troy was an impressive and comfortable three and a half length winner over the Owen Burrows-trained Jim Crowley-ridden son of Too Darn Hot, Alyanaabi (6/1).
Eben Shaddad (25/1) was a further length back in third place for joint-trainers John and Thady Gosden and rider Benoit de la Sayette.
City of Troy was sent to the front of the field by a confident Ryan Moore on exiting the gates. The Group 2 bet365 Superlative Stakes winner on his last start was going well throughout the contest. Moore asked him to extend his advantage as they entered the final two furlongs of the race. The response was immediate, and eye-catching, as City of Troy put daylight between himself and his rivals.
The successful trainer, Aidan O’Brien, who described City of Troy as “ … no doubt the best two-year-old I’ve trained”, had expressed ground concerns prior to the race as his star colt had only previously run on good ground. Rain at Newmarket in the days leading up to the race likely caused a certain amount of anxiety for connections.
Speaking to the assembled media post-race, the County Wexford-born conditioner could not have been happier nor more impressed with his Dewhurst Stakes winner considering the ground conditions.
“City of Troy would have absolutely hated that ground and the stride on him is incredible, but he just never gets tired,” said O’Brien, having just won a record-equalling eight Dewhurst Stakes. “We had nowhere else to run him and thank goodness we ran him. I’ve never seen a horse that doesn’t get tired.”
The world number one-ranked trainer continued:
“He goes again going to the line again. I’ve never had a horse where we don’t know where the limit is. We usually push them to the limit, but we can never find his limit. He has done it the hard way as well, but he would be delighted to get a lead. There is no doubt he is the best two-year-old I’ve trained.”
For the successful jockey Ryan Moore it was a fifth victory in the Dewhurst Stakes, having previously tasted success with Beethoven (2009), Air Force Blue (2015), Churchill (2016) and U S Navy Flag (2017).
When interviewed by host broadcaster ITV Racing, the English jockey offered:
“He’s got such a lovely action. These wouldn’t be his ideal conditions. He had been off since July, and I think he had forgotten a little bit. He was very, very good in the last furlong and a half today and he is a very, very good colt.”
Explaining how impressive the colt had been in his two previous races, Moore said:
“When I rode him on the July Course (at Newmarket, England) and the first day at the Curragh (County Kildare, Ireland) – at the Curragh he did something no horse has ever done to me before, nearly running off the course as he couldn’t be pulled up and on the July Course I thought no horse has ever been this good at that point of their career.”
The QIPCO 2000 Guineas favourite for May 2024 impressed co-owner Michael Tabor to such a level that he was comparing his colt to the former Juddmonte star, Frankel.
“He really is our Frankel,” the multi-millionaire owner stated. “I know the way Aidan speaks. We’re all optimists, but this horse is special. No question, he’s the real deal. That’s what we feel at this moment. Maybe down the line we’ll have egg on our face, but I like to talk before the event and I really feel this horse could be anything,” an enthusiastic and excited Tabor added.
City of Troy is a fifth Group 1 winner for Coolmore-owned stallion Justify and the stallion’s first Group 1 from a daughter of Galileo. City of Troy is out of the Group 1-winning Galileo mare Together Forever, who is a full sister to Group 1 Epsom Oaks winner Forever Together and half-sister to Group 1 winner Lord Shanakill.
Aidan O’Brien previously won the Dewhurst Stakes with Rock Of Gibraltar (2001), Beethoven (2009), War Command (2013), Air Force Blue (2015), Churchill (2017), U S Navy Flag (2017) and St Mark’s Basilica (2020).
Ylang Ylang wins Fillies’ Mile
In the other Group 1 of the Dubai Future Champions meeting at Newmarket, the Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore and Coolmore partners triumvirate won the bet365 Fillies’ Mile with Ylang Ylang (9/2).
The juvenile daughter of Juddmonte Farms’ Frankel was made to work hard for her victory, however. She showed her bravery and class in the closing stages of the one-mile race as she came from third position inside the one-eight pole. The Ballydoyle filly took a half-length win from race favourite Shuwari (3/1) with See The Fire (4/1) another three-quarters of a length behind in third.
It was a sixth victory in the Group 1 for Aidan O’Brien who previously won with Sunspangled (1998), Listen (2007), Together Forever (2014), Minding (2015) and Rhododendron (2016). He is now the joint winning-most handler in the race with John Gosden and the late Henry Cecil with six wins each.
“She is classy and very brave,” O’Brien said of the winner. “She is a filly really to look forward to. When her season got interrupted like that, she wouldn’t have been at her 100 per cent best today as she was coming here for education for next year more than today being the be all and end all.”
Discussing his third win in the race (following wins on Minding in 2015 and Rhododendron a year leater). Ryan Moore told ITV Racing:
“My filly relaxed nicely, and I was following Shuwari. I was happy but then I lost my cover, so I just let her stride forward. She is a high-class filly and has always been held in high regard. Her last run was a nice run for today and I am delighted that is has worked out.”
Ylang Ylang is unlikely to run again this season and her primary early season aim in 2024 will be the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May.
