City Of Troy

Although the Scat Daddy male line has proved a wonderful source of top sprinters and milers in Europe, we are beginning to see another facet of its considerable talents, thanks to Scat Daddy’s American son Justify. In landing the American Triple Crown Justify scored over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half, and his second-crop son City of Troy has also done exactly that in landing the Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International. These victories established City of Troy as the best turf horse on Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, which means that he has the rare distinction of having been the best of his generation both at two and three. As a juvenile he won all three of his starts, including the Gr.2 July S. by 6½ lengths and the Gr.1 Dewhurst S. by 3½. The official handicappers rated him top 2yo by a margin of 5lb. In adding the Derby to his Dewhurst victory, City of Troy followed the example of such all-time greats as Nijinsky and Mill Reef.

City of Troy has classic bloodlines to match his classic ability. His dam, the Galileo mare Together Forever, landed her last three races as a juvenile, including the Gr.1 Fillies’ Mile. Together Forever’s younger sister Forever Together was also top class, as she showed in easily winning the 2018 Oaks.

Justify has wasted little time in establishing his great talent and great versatility as a sire, in much the same way that his sire Scat Daddy had done. Among Scat Daddy’s many virtues was his capacity to pass on the Storm Cat male line’s ability to shine at two and City of Troy was one of four individual Gr.1 2yo winners in Justify’s second crop. Two of the others scored at the Breeders’ Cup.

City of Troy has a pedigree free of DANZIG and should prove well suited to mares from this line. No Nay Never - like Justify a son of Scat Daddy – sired the dual Gr.1 winner Ten Sovereigns from an EXCEED AND EXCEL mare and his 4-time Gr.1-winning daughter Alcohol Free is out of a mare by HARD SPUN. Caravaggio, another of Scat Daddy’s sons, sired the top-class filly Porta Fortuna from a grand-daughter of DANEHILL, by HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR. Justify already has five BTWs (15%) out of mares by DANEHILL’s son FASTNET ROCK. Justify’s dual Gr.1 winner Opera Singer has a 2nd dam by DANEHILL DANCER. DANSILI’s daughters are another option, as they have done very well with another stallion with a dam by Galileo.

No Nay Never and Caravaggio have thrived with mares from the GREEN DESERT branch of the DANZIG line, siring the likes of dual Gr.1-winning 2yo Blackbeard and dual U.S. Gr.1 winner Whitebeam. No Nay Never has an impressive 20% BTWs from 20 foals out of mares by OASIS DREAM, including Gr.2 2yo winners Array and Les Pavots. Another stallion with a dam by Galileo has a Gr.1 winner out of a CAPE CROSS mare.

Justify already has seven black-type performers with 2nd dams by STORM CAT, as well as North American stakes winners out of mares by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY and his son FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND. Justify’s Gr.2 winner Buchu has a 2nd dam by GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. Mares by SHAMARDAL, LOPE DE VEGA and BLUE POINT should work well with City of Troy.

Although City of Troy has several lines of MR PROSPECTOR, they are so distant that they are no obstacle to further lines to this outstanding stallion. Justify’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Hard To Justify is out of a QUALITY ROAD mare inbred 4x3 to MR PROSPECTOR. Another of his Gr.1 winners, Arabian Lion, is out of a mare by DISTORTED HUMOR, while Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Just F Y I has a dam by STREET CRY, who also sired the 2nd dam of Gr.1 Belmont Oaks winner Aspen Grove. Like Hard To Justify, the classy European filly Ramatuelle is out of a grand-daughter of ELUSIVE QUALITY. Scat Daddy sired the highly successful No Nay Never from an ELUSIVE QUALITY mare. Daughters of RAVEN’S PASS, IFFRAAJ and WOOTTON BASSETT are good options for City of Troy.

Caravaggio, another son of Scat Daddy, sired a Gr.1 winner from a PIVOTAL mare and No Nay Never has Listed winners out of daughters of PIVOTAL and PEINTRE CELEBRE. PIVOTAL also sired the 2nd dam of No Nay Never’s high-class 2yo Blackbeard and his daughters have GWs by two stallions with dams by Galileo. Mares by SIYOUNI should be especially suitable for City of Troy.