Cover image courtesy of Coolmore Stud
Coolmore Stud’s announcement of City Of Troy (USA) for their 2025 stallion roster, where he will be offered for $49,500 (inc GST), gives breeders a chance to utilise one of the world's most highly-credentialed stallions. The Horse Of The Year and Champion 2YO Colt will shuttle from Coolmore’s Irish base.
“We are so excited to stand City Of Troy, and to offer him to Australasian breeders,” said Coolmore Australia’s Sales & Nominations Manager, Colm Santry.
An almost perfect racehorse
City Of Troy debuted as a July 2-year-old, at the Curragh on a good surface over 1400 metres in a big field. He sat in the leading bunch, and kicked away to win by 3l. From there, he was never out of group company, winning the G2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket over the same distance, then the time-honoured G1 Dewhurst Stakes.
His Dewhurst victory gained him a Timeform Rating of 125, bettered only by Frankel (GB) in this race this century.
“Aidan O’Brien always considered him to be one of the best horses he has ever trained, while Ryan Moore also ranks him as the best he’s ridden," Santry said. "He was an incredibly classy horse with a high cruising speed, as we saw so impressively in his three runs at two which he won by an aggregate margin of more than 12 lengths.”
"Aidan O’Brien always considered him to be one of the best horses he has ever trained, while Ryan Moore also ranks him as the best he’s ridden." - Colm Santry
Colm Santry | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Back at three, City Of Troy was sent out a hot favourite for the G1 2000 Guineas but failed to show his juvenile form, with his trainer blaming himself for the uncharacteristic showing.
The run was soon forgotten for City Of Troy took on the G1 The Derby at Epsom and galloped into history with a fine 3l victory. He jumped from the inside barrier and travelled in the second half of the field, then pounced in the run to the line with a stunning piece of acceleration to fly through the field in only a few strides to take the lead and run away from them. It was redemption and took his record to four wins from five starts, two at Group 1 level.
But there was more to come for the exciting Classic winner. City Of Troy proceeded to beat the older horses twice in his next two starts, in the G1 Eclipse Stakes and G1 Juddmonte International where he crushed the track record set by Sea The Stars (Ire).
City Of Troy (USA) winning the G1 Eclipse Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sent to America for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, City Of Troy didn’t fire on the dirt surface, finishing mid-field. Of his eight starts, he won six of them in a stellar career that saw him win four Group 1 races, including the ultimate juvenile race in Europe and a Classic.
“His unbelievable accomplishments on the track saw him become the only horse other than Frankel to receive the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and the Cartier Horse Of The Year accolade in successive years. This is a horse with very rare ability and he’s out of a Group 1-winning 2-year-old by Galileo (Ire), so given how well the shuttle stallions are performing in Australia at present, he’s a very exciting addition to our stallion ranks.”
"This is a horse with very rare ability (...) he’s a very exciting addition to our stallion ranks." - Colm Santry
A precocious pedigree
City Of Troy’s precocity likely comes from his dam, Together Forever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), since his unbeaten sire Justify (USA) didn’t race at two, although he has been a strong juvenile producer in his short stud career so far. “His dam was sharper type of Galileo, and City Of Troy is physically a great balance between Justify’s brawn and Galileo’s class,” said Santry.
"City Of Troy is physically a great balance between Justify’s brawn and Galileo’s class." - Colm Santry
Together Forever won three races at two, led by the G1 Newmarket Fillies' Mile, and has been a sensational broodmare with all her first five foals to race earning black type. City Of Troy stands clear with his older half-brother Military Style (USA) (War Front {USA}) winning the G3 Leopardstown Tyros Stakes.
Together Forever (Ire) | Image courtesy of Racingfotos
The other three to race are all winners and stakes placed. City Of Troy’s full brother Unbelievable (USA) placed in the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup, his half-brother King Of Athens (USA) (War Front {USA}) won at two and placed in the Listed Leopardstown Two Thousand Guineas Trial, and another half-brother Absolute Ruler (USA) (War Front {USA}) placed in the G3 Leopardstown Champions Juvenile Stakes.
Together Forever is a half-sister to G1 Chantilly Prix Jean Prat winner Lord Shanakill (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) and a full sister to G1 The Oaks winner Forever Together (Ire).
Justify’s brilliant start at stud
The only unbeaten Triple Crown winner, Justify (USA) is a young stallion with his oldest crops being 5-year-olds in America and 4-year-olds in Australia. He began with a bang, siring 15 stakes winners in his first American crop, and in total, has 41 stakes winners with seven Group 1 winners. And notably, for a horse who didn’t race at two, 20 of his stakes winners won their first stakes race as 2-year-olds.
“He is by far the best son of Justify with an impeccable Danehill-free pedigree that makes him suitable to all the dominant bloodlines in this part of the world,” said Santry.
"He is by far the best son of Justify with an impeccable Danehill-free pedigree." - Colm Santry
“He has one of the best outcross pedigrees that we could possibly bring into Australia, and in a market where outcross shuttle stallions have been so effective recently, we think City Of Troy has plenty to offer.”
Justify (USA) | Standing at Coolmore America
Justify’s seven Group 1 winners are out of mares by Galileo (Ire), Sadler’s Wells (USA), Street Cry (Ire), More Than Ready (USA), as well as Raven’s Pass (USA), Distorted Humor (USA), and Quality Road (USA). Australian breeders will recognise many of these names, with Street Cry and More Than Ready proving to be outstanding broodmare sires in this region.
In Australia, Justify’s eight stakes winners are led by the exciting pair of juvenile group winners Storm Boy and Learning To Fly, who are both out of Fastnet Rock mares.
Made for Fastnet Rock and Danehill-line mares
City Of Troy looks made for Fastnet Rock mares in particular, not just thanks to Justify’s success with Fastnet Rock via Storm Boy, Learning To Fly, Group 3 winner Star Of Justice, and Listed winner Lilac locally. In America, Justify sired last season’s Classic performing colt Just Steel (USA) from a Fastnet Rock mare.
City Of Troy’s damsire Galileo has a strong record with the Danehill-line, siring two Group 1 winners from Fastnet Rock mares, and 18 Group 1 winners out of Danehill (USA) mares.
With his first book in Ireland being covered at a fee of €75,000 (AU$128,000), City Of Troy’s Australian fee looks to be very reasonable.
