‘I’ve never seen a horse like that’: City of Troy goes deep for Dewhurst win

Aidan O’Brien hailed City Of Troy as “the only horse we’ve ever had that never gets tired” after the son of the US Triple Crown winner, Justify, made all the running to record an outstanding success in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday.

O’Brien had said before the race that he had concerns about City Of Troy’s ability to act on the rain-softened ground, but Ryan Moore was immediately in front after his mount broke exceptionally well and then powered away from Alyanaabi in the final quarter-mile to win going away by three-and-a-half lengths.

“He would absolutely hate that ground, but he just never gets tired,” O’Brien said. “Thank God we ran him. I’ve never seen a horse like that, it’s obviously part of his make-up somewhere.

“That would be his worst type of ground, Ryan said it was deep and sticky. He hardly lifted his feet on his way to the start. We don’t know where his limit is, we usually push them to the limit but we never could find his limit.

“We’d have been delighted to get a lead but he went along with his ears pricked, just lobbing along. You needed tractor tyres to go on that today and he doesn’t have tractor tyres, but what he does have is a jet engine, it just pushes his action through it.”

Quick GuideGreg Wood’s Sunday tipsShow

Ffos Las: 1.35 Reine Fee, 2.10 Support Act, 2.45 Beau Balko, 3.20 Nemean Lion (nap), 3.55 Coal Fire, 4.30 Lusitanien, 5.05 Call To Duty.

Goodwood: 1.50 Cherry Cola, 2.25 Al Shabab Storm, 3.00 Hierarchy (nb), 3.35 Amancio, 4.10 Black Run, 4.45 Kathab, 5.20 Dream Of Mischief.

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City Of Troy is now certain to finish the season as Europe’s leading two-year-old colt, and was cut to around 5-4 (from 5-2) by bookmakers for the 2,000 Guineas next May. He is also 9-4 (from 7-2) with Paddy Power for the Derby and a 10-1 chance with the same firm to become the first winner of the British Triple Crown since Nijinsky, another Ballydoyle resident, in 1970.