Breeders’ Cup Classic Contender Spotlight: City of Troy
Coolmore’s latest Breeders’ Cup Classic hopeful, City of Troy, has several intriguing connections to the stable’s very first runner in the prestigious race – the legendary Giant’s Causeway. Both were champion two-year-olds and suffered their first defeats when sent off as favorites for the 2000 Guineas, before going on to win major races like the Eclipse and Juddmonte International.
Much like Giant’s Causeway did 24 years earlier at Churchill Downs, City of Troy will be making his first start on American dirt at Del Mar in November. To prepare, the colt will have a gallop at Southwell later this month, replicating the pre-Breeders’ Cup routine followed by his famous predecessor.
Remarkably, City of Troy also carries the same dark blue silks as Giant’s Causeway, the colors of Sue Magnier. But the most compelling link between the two is their shared male family tree, tracing back to the influential Storm Cat sire-line.
Giant’s Causeway was by Storm Cat, and that influential sire appears five generations back in City of Troy’s pedigree. Coolmore has long been enamored with this stellar bloodline, dating back to Storm Cat’s own sire, the champion Storm Bird, who was trained by the legendary Vincent O’Brien.
The Storm Cat legacy has proved hugely significant for Coolmore, siring not only Giants Causeway but also other top-class performers like Johannesburg, Scat Daddy, and now City of Troy’s sire, Triple Crown winner Justify. The stable has invested heavily in this sire-line over the years, with some of the most expensive yearlings in history being by Storm Cat or his descendants.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic Drought
While none of Coolmore’s other Storm Cat offspring have quite matched the exploits of Giants Causeway, the hope is that City of Troy can finally deliver the Breeders’ Cup Classic win that has eluded the operation for over two decades. As a Derby winner himself, City of Troy would be a groundbreaking victor, with only the mighty Galileo previously attempting the double.
Aidan O’Brien has been chasing this particular Holy Grail since the turn of the millennium, and with the City of Troy’s Storm Cat-fueled pedigree, the pieces may finally be in place for Coolmore to end their Breeders’ Cup Classic drought. Racing fans eagerly await the colt’s American debut in November.
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