City of Troy makes brilliant move to win Epsom Derby

Aidan O’Brien trains for the global powerhouse Coolmore, for whom a primary focus is standing stallions, and thus among O’Brien’s responsibilities is training racehorses to win stallion-making races and to promote their talent and achievement. Sometimes the praise, understandably, has seemed excessive, and after champion 2-year-old City of Troy finished ninth of 11 in the 2000 Guineas, his 3-year-old debut, O’Brien continued insisting the colt was a star.

The hype is real.

Coming off famed Tattenham Corner and into the long homestretch at Epsom Downs, City of Troy, under Ryan Moore, made a spectacular move from 10th place, flying into contention with about a quarter-mile left and finishing things off with a mighty run to the wire winning the Derby by 2 3/4 lengths Saturday.

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The acceleration City of Troy displayed when Moore had finally maneuvered him into a position to come forward was breathtaking. And despite never having raced beyond one mile, City of Troy saw out the Derby’s 1 1/2-mile trip with aplomb, pulling clear from Ambiente Friendly, the one horse who had a chance at him with a furlong left to run, to win going away.

Ambiente Friendly finished 3 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place Los Angeles. Trained by O’Brien, Los Angeles helped set the table for City of Troy, racing second as a third O’Brien-trained horse, ninth-place Euphoric, set the pace. The two leaders raced side by side around Tattenham Corner before opening the hole City of Troy shot through to take the lead. O’Brien’s triple team aside, City of Troy raced brilliantly.

City of Troy wasn’t the first horse to the finish line, but the one in front of him, Voyage, crossed the line without jockey Pat Dobbs, who was dislodged from the saddle when Voyage stumbled a couple strides into the race. Voyage made the lead midway through the Derby, briefly impeded Ambiente Friendly, the second choice, and gave City of Troy something to think about, but in the end, Voyage didn’t cost anyone their rightful placing.

City of Troy was timed in 2:38.32 over a course rated good to soft. Two Group 1 races over 1 1/2 miles on Friday, when the course also was good to soft, were won in considerably slower times. Favored for this race since last fall, City of Troy paid a mere $5.80 on the North American tote.

City of Troy is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, and is son of Triple Crown winner Justify and the Galileo mare Together Forever.

O’Brien, who won his 10th Derby, said after the Guineas that City of Troy had become upset in the stalls and went too hard on the lead in the Guineas, burning himself out in his first race following a winter break. Saturday, he set fire to 15 rivals at Epsom, a real star after all.

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