City Of Troy was named Champion European Two-Year-Old after just three runs.
Nothing that has happened since his explosive runaway victory in Newmarket’s G1 Dewhurst Stakes (1400m) last year has dampened enthusiasm for his prospects in the G1 2000 Guineas (1600m) on his return to Newmarket’s demanding Rowley Mile course on Saturday (4 May).
The Aidan O’Brien-trained, Ryan Moore-ridden son of unbeaten 2018 US Triple Crown winner Justify will jump from gate two in the eleven-colt field.
If City Of Troy wins, he will provide brilliant Irishman O’Brien with an 11th triumph in the first Classic of the British season. No preparation races have been needed for the serious O’Brien colts, with each of those ten winners coming on their seasonal return.
O’Brien has heaped accolades on City Of Troy and says: “There is no doubt he was the best two-year-old we ever had. We just can’t find his limit. He just doesn’t get tired, and mentally he is unbelievable.”
No lack of respect for City Of Troy is mentioned amongst trainers of his rivals though plenty of admiration and ambition can be found for their own runners.
Rosallion surged from last to first from an outside gate to win Longchamp’s G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1400m) last October and, like City Of Troy, this Sean Levey-ridden son of Blue Point comes from a stable with history in Saturday’s Newmarket Classic.
Richard Hannon’s father – also Richard – produced Mons Fils to deliver a shock win in the 1973 Guineas catapulting the stable’s fortunes, later landing a second 2000 Guineas with Don’t Forget Me. Meanwhile in 2014, Kieren Fallon booted home Night Of Thunder to give Richard Jnr victory with his first-ever Classic runner.
Of Rosallion, Hannon Jnr – who also fields James Doyle’s mount Haatem – says: “He’s at least as good as Night Of Thunder and did a brilliant piece of work at Kempton racecourse recently. He looks like he would look in July so I’m sure he won’t be inconvenienced without a run this year. I know we are up against Aidan O’Brien and that is usually a one-way street but we are hoping that we’ve got the best horse.”
Unlike Hannon, Clive Cox is yet to train a Classic winner despite over 1000 winners – including a Group 3 victory at Ascot on Wednesday (1 May) – and 11 Group 1 victories. Ghostwriter is his big hope for first Classic glory and this imposing colt has already proven over Saturday’s course and distance having convincingly won the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes (1600m) last September under Saturday’s jockey Richard Kingscote.
“He is magnificent and I think this fella is the real deal. He’s gone under the radar a bit but that suits me,” Cox said.
The ground for Saturday is currently good but any easing would offer the possibility of a long-price shock with Ten Bob Tony, the mount of in-form rider Saffie Osborne.
He is rated only 109 compared to City Of Troy’s 125 but trainer Ed Walker says of the front-running winner of a 1400m conditions event here last month: “He needs to improve significantly but he’s a massive horse so that is not out of the question, especially if we get slow ground.”
