City of Troy Underwhelms in Coral-Eclipse but Poised for Redemption

(Sporting Life, July 10th)

City of Troy, the highly touted three-year-old colt, posted the lowest performance rating of any Coral-Eclipse winner this century at Sandown Park on Saturday. However, connections remain confident that the horse will showcase his true class when returned to more favorable ground conditions.

The previous lowest performance rating in the Eclipse this century was recorded in 2010 when Twice Over clocked a bare figure of 122. In contrast, City of Troy was handed a disappointing rating of only 120 after struggling to fend off inferior rivals on the day.

Timeform’s Eclipse report acknowledged that the testing ground conditions at Sandown, the first time City of Troy had raced on going deemed soft, offered a legitimate explanation for the underwhelming display. The colt’s Timeform master rating remains at a lofty 127p, and he is still considered the highest-rated three-year-old in training.

“City of Troy gained a fifth win from six starts, though given how simple his task looked it was a rather underwhelming effort, a shorter trip and steadier pace perhaps not suiting him so well as the Derby had, while, most significantly of all, ground that had become very taxing rendered this less about posting another big figure and more about getting the job done.”

Despite the disappointing performance, connections remain optimistic about City of Troy’s prospects. The report suggests that the International at York, with its long history of producing top-class performances, could be an ideal opportunity for the colt to showcase his true abilities, especially if he encounters firmer ground more suited to his running style.

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