City of Troy a dominant force and heavy favorite in Eclipse Stakes

His powerful Epsom Derby win in the rearview mirror and a potential Breeders’ Cup Classic start still beyond the horizon, City of Troy is set to run in Group 1 Eclipse Stakes on Saturday at Sandown Park in England.

The 1 1/4-mile Eclipse marks City of Troy’s first test against older rivals, but only barely. Five of the eight Eclipse entrants are 3-year-olds, including the top four choices in early betting. White Birch, winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, was expected to provide City of Troy’s main competition, but unsatisfactory blood work caused connections to rule him out of the race Wednesday. At 25-1, Al Riffa, sixth in the Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga, offered the shortest antepost odds among the older horses, who give the 3-year-olds 10 pounds.

General attention as well as win betting focuses strictly on City of Troy, who sat at less than 1-2 in the market as of Thursday. Dancing Gemini was a distant second choice, just as he was a relatively distant sixth behind City of Troy in the Derby.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

Europe’s best 2-year-old of 2023, City of Troy came to his 2024 debut touted as a serious threat to pull a 2000 Guineas and Derby double, but came out of the Guineas with his star seriously dimmed after a ninth-place finish. His trainer, Aidan O’Brien, offered a menu of explanations for the defeat, interpreted by some as nuanced and clever, by others as desperate and reaching. The colt’s Derby silenced the doubtful chorus.

City of Troy’s 2 3/4-length margin of victory in the 1 1/2-mile Derby was impressive itself, the move that propelled him to victory even more so. Held near the back of a 16-runner field by Ryan Moore, City of Troy passed most of his rivals between the three-furlong and quarter-mile markers, swooping to the front with a massive run he appeared to make with little effort. The hype, it now appears, had merit, and anything approaching his baseline Saturday nets City of Troy a third Group 1.

More interesting than the impending contest are long-range plans for City of Troy, who is by the Triple Crown winner Justify and out of the Galileo mare Together Forever. O’Brien and City of Troy’s Coolmore connections for decades have coveted the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and in this colt believe they have found the right horse to take down that prize. The 1 1/4-mile Classic over Del Mar dirt, should he make the race, will present City of Troy with a serious challenge. His Eclipse rivals, not so much.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.