Justify’s City of Troy Impressive in G1 Epsom Derby
Justify’s European Champion 2-Year-Old City of Troy (3c Justify x Together Forever, by Galileo) impressed on Saturday at Epsom with a victory in the Group I Epsom Derby to lead home a 1-2-3-4 by Coolmore-sired runners.
Racing over 1 ½ miles on the turf, City Of Troy was asked to race near the back of the field by Ryan Moore and quickly settled into that position. Moved up just a few positions in the middle of the race, he had to deal with plenty of traffic as they moved around the far turn and into the stretch.
Moore started pushing his mount down the inside and City Of Troy willingly complied, squeezing through a hole just behind the leaders to make a serious bid for the win. It was only a few strides later that he got to the front and started pulling away from Gleneagles’ second placed Ambiente Friendly.
City of Troy crossed the line 2 ¾ lengths in front with Coolmore stallions siring each of the top four. Camelot saw his runners come in third and fourth.
“We knew if he turned up, he was the best horse in the race and it's great that he could come back today,” Moore said. “He was a level above all the horses, so he just had to put it all together and he did. He's still a little bit immature, that's the first time he's run around a bend and he still actually felt a little bit green in front over the last two furlongs–I never really got him organised and he was changing leads, so hopefully there's plenty more to work with.”
A Coolmore homebred, the Aidan O’Brien trainee has won four of his five starts with his only loss coming in this season’s debut. Included in those victories is also a win in the Group I Dewhurst Stakes last year.
“The exciting thing for us is Justify–for us, Justify is the most incredible horse we have had,” O’Brien said of City of Troy’s sire. “He has looked very special all the way and the class that they have, speed as well as stamina, is amazing. The great stallion we had was Galileo. Justifys are Galileos with more class, which is a very hard thing to say, but we see it every day. The stride, the minds, the movement of them, they are quicker than Galileos, which makes them unbelievably exciting for us.”
City of Troy is one of five stakes performers for the Group I winning Together Forever and joins Group III winner Military Style as stakes winners for the mare with City of Troy’s full brother also group placed.
Together Forever is following a Group I winner-producing tradition as one of three Grade I winners for her own dam alongside the Group I Epsom Oaks winner Forever Together and Group I winner Lord Shanakill.
Together Forever has a 2-year-old Uncle Mo filly named Takemetothemoon
With City Of Troy’s victory, Justify becomes only the second Grade I Kentucky Derby winner to sire an Epsom Derby winner alongside the great Northern Dancer.