Marten Julian’s Weekly Roundup 8 July 2024
July 15th, 2024 | Marten's Perspective
The overriding emotion that emanated from those close to City Of Troy following his hard fought success in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes on Saturday was more one of relief than elation, with Ryan Moore telling Nick Luck in a post-race interview that he had expected the colt to “win by 10 lengths.”
Lewis Porteous, writing in Sunday’s Racing Post, said of the colt’s Derby performance that he “arrived in the lead travelling like a Rolls Royce” in a “performance that saw him resurrect his superstar status.”
Yet anyone looking at footage of the Derby will see Ryan Moore at work with hands and heels on the colt from the foot of Tattenham Corner, as had been the case from some way out in the Dewhurst and Superlative Stakes last season.
I wrote in my Daily Bulletin 2000 Guineas Preview on Saturday 4th May:
“Tactically this will be fascinating, as City Of Troy is actually quite a lazy colt who has required cajoling in his races before finding his stride.”
He has never looked a flashy colt, who comes there on the bridle before producing a change of gear to quicken away in a few strides. He may, of course, display gears at home and that may also be the case when he gets the chance to run on faster ground or the dirt, and indeed there seems to be a degree of high expectancy among those closest to the colt, but on the evidence to hand he is a galloper who lengthens rather than a smooth traveller who quickens.
Consequently I was not surprised to see him win on Saturday in such a manner. Ryan Moore was quick to blame himself afterwards, suggesting that he made a mistake in mounting his challenge up the middle of the track rather than on the rail after the colt had become unbalanced turning for home.
Four of City Of Troy’s five victories have come on ground with the word soft in the description but on the one occasion he encountered good ground – on his debut at the Curragh in July – it still took him a furlong and plenty of cajoling from the saddle to get him to pass a horse now rated on 87, who came home third.
Given the watering policy adopted at most tracks these days we may never get the chance to see the colt running on quick ground. York’s Juddmonte Stakes is more likely to be run on such a surface than the Irish Champion Stakes, and it may not be until the Breeders’ Cup Classic that we see the quality of performance that his connections believe him capable of.
Having said all this, the colt produced a decent time in the ground – the fastest of the three races run over the distance on the day – and Al Riffa, who finished second, was the only other Group 1 winner in the field. However Ghostwriter, rated 12lbs inferior to the winner, was beaten just two lengths into third.
To conclude, a few commentators and pundits are attributing City Of Troy with the quality of performance and status that they want to see rather than the one that they are seeing.
It is not an uncommon trait in this day and age, as the industry thrives on superstars, but City Of Troy has not yet shown he is worthy of that lofty accolade.
It’s the three-day Newmarket July meeting this week, starting on Thursday, and you can acquire my thoughts and information by subscribing to the Daily Bulletins (email service) or by joining my Telephone & Text Service for one week (£21). As always selectivity will be the guiding consideration. Please call Rebecca on 01539741007 to place an order or with any questions. I’ll be back next week with more ponderings.
Bye for now
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This article was uploaded one week after it was written.
