- City Of Troy lowered the track record with victory at Juddmonte International
- Victory saw the horse installed as the early favourite for Breeders’ Cup Classic
- Standing in the way of a historic victory is America’s best dirt horse, Fierceness
The size of the challenge City Of Troy faces to achieve racing immortality has become clearer after American superstar Fierceness emerged as his biggest rival.
City Of Troy, whose spectacular success in the Juddmonte International lit up York last week, is being prepared by Aidan O’Brien for a shot at the $7million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on November 2. No winner of the Epsom Derby has ever followed up in the world’s biggest dirt race.
Bookmakers were quick to chalk up City Of Troy as their favourite after his performance at York, when he lowered the track record, but he lost that position yesterday morning when Fierceness charged into the fray.
Fierceness won the Grade One Travers Stakes at Saratoga — a race originally on City Of Troy’s agenda — with a relentless display of galloping, and has now won five of his eight starts. He’s America’s best dirt horse and will be a totally different opponent. Put simply, this is the ultimate test.
‘This is the best three-year-old in the country right now. I don’t think anyone can deny it,’ declared Mike Repole, owner of Fierceness. ‘He’s pretty special and he’s going to be pretty tough in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.’
City of Troy is set for a showdown with America’s best dirt horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic
Fierceness (#8) has won five of his last eight starts and presents the ultimate test for the horse Aidan O’Brien’s calls the best he has trained
O’Brien will push on with his plans for California, which are likely to include giving City Of Troy a racecourse gallop at Wolverhampton in the coming weeks. The all-weather track has a tight circuit with a short straight, like Del Mar. With City Of Troy taking a back seat for the meantime, O’Brien is sorting out plans for his other stars and Los Angeles, the Irish Derby winner, is being considered for the St Leger.
Los Angeles won the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York 35 minutes before City Of Troy’s demolition and O’Brien said: ‘He could go to either the St Leger or the Irish Champion Stakes. Obviously, if he’s going to the Arc, he could go for the Irish Champion Stakes.’