Although the race is supposedly all about one horse, an awful lot of others are keen to take on City Of Troy in Wednesday’s Juddmonte International in York.
A field of 13 is a record for the prestigious highlight that has featured some of the greatest horses in turf history ever since Roberto shocked an ailing Brigadier Gerard when it was first run in 1972.
Roberto is one of a handful of Derby winners to also win at York. Others include brilliant talents in Troy, Authorized and Australia, and an undisputed great of the game in Sea The Stars. Having proved his brilliance at Epsom in June, City Of Troy’s ultimate status is up for decision.
Aidan O’Brien has already nailed his colours to the mast in declaring City Of Troy the best he’s ever had. That has prompted some scepticism on the not entirely unreasonable basis that it’s a rare year when some Ballydoyle blueblood doesn’t get similar commercially useful praise.
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O’Brien insists that’s an unfair perspective, and, in many ways, perceptions of City of Troy have been dictated by the horse’s heady billing ever since bursting on to the scene as a two-year-old.
Part owner Michael Tabor’s “our Frankel” label could hardly have set the bar higher. Even 12 years later, the image of Frankel’s epochal Juddmonte rout remains vivid. Maybe undue expectations have swamped what is by most other measures an exceptional talent.
If Epsom proved that, then City Of Troy’s previous Guineas flop, and subsequent underwhelming victory in the Eclipse, suggested enough vulnerability to encourage others into taking a shot against him.
A dozen opponents include City Of Troy’s pacemaker but also enough depth to have Wednesday’s opening day Ebor festival highlight set up in some quarters as the race of the season. Such promotion gets an annual outing and usually owes as much to hope as hard evidence.
With the Oaks winner Ezeliya retired and the Jockey Club hero Look De Vega holding his feet up in France, similar to the spectacular King George winner Goliath, there are plenty of A-listers prepared to sit this out.
Nevertheless, it still looks a Juddmonte to savour, and lurking among the potential scenarios is an intoxicating prospect whereby City Of Troy actually produces the sort of sweeping dominance that finally justifies the hype surrounding him.
The stage is his. Theoretically at least, York at the peak of the season, over an extended mile and a quarter, and on forecast good to firm ground, looks to leave a minimum of excuses.
For a horse whose running style suggests he is best employing a lengthy stride, York’s long straight should be perfect. This is not a stalk-and-pounce talent à la Sea The Stars, more the sort of grinder that originally had O’Brien and his team thinking of this Saturday’s Travers Stakes on dirt.
That was in the spring when anything less than world domination felt like it would be an anticlimax. Guineas failure popped that balloon. Epsom got the train back to the expectation station only for Sandown to introduce doubt again. It’s time for a definitive City Of Troy performance.
“The weather looks like it means the ground should be better than Sandown, and York has a nice, long home straight that we hope will suit him given his stride,” O’Brien said.
“We always say we want to see the best horses in the best races. He’s just been unique all the way along. What he has been doing has just been on raw ability. We thought he was still green in the Derby and then we went to Sandown, and we were happy there was plenty of time between Sandown and York to tweak a few things.”
The nature of those tweaks could end up dictating the course of the race. But if the colt doesn’t spark, there is a range of talents waiting to take advantage, some of them truly living up to the race’s international title.
French racing’s resurgence this summer could be extended by Calandagan and Zarakem while the Japanese St Leger winner Durezza provides an unknown factor. Japan’s Zenno Rob Roy was runner-up in the race 19 years ago.
The race sponsors have also opted to allow their filly Bluestocking take her chance in this rather than the following day’s Yorkshire Oaks, another sign that plenty believe the prize is up for grabs despite City Of Troy’s reputation.
Further evidence of that belief is the fact that both Ambiente Friendly, runner-up at Epsom, and Ghostwriter, third in the Eclipse, are back for more. The trend towards top talent scaring off potential opposition doesn’t appear to be in play here.
There is no doubt, including on official ratings, that City Of Troy is a top talent. It will be intriguing to find out whether he is really at the rarefied level above.
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