'The next Frankel' City Of Troy a short price for Classics after impressive win

14 October 2023 , 16:10

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City Of Troy and Ryan Moore finished Native Trail's Dewhurst Stakes in splendid isolation (Image: PA)

City Of Troy was hailed as 'the next Frankel' after Aidan O'Brien's star romped to victory at Newmarket.

The dominant two-year-old emulated Sir Henry Cecil's all-time unbeaten great by winning Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes. Frankel's sequence stretched to 14 races following his 2010 title for his late handler – and City Of Troy is a hot prospect. Bookmakers cut his 2,000 Guineas odds to even money and 5-2 for next year's Derby after he bounded away from the opposition.

William Hill rate his chances of matching sire and US Triple Crown hero Justify at 10-1.

"City Of Troy could be our Frankel," said part-owner Michael Tabor, after watching the juvenile win by a widening three-and-a-half lengths.

Sent straight into the lead by Ryan Moore, City Of Troy upped the pace with two furlongs to run – and soon had the rest in trouble. Alyanaabi plugged on for second place, but never had any chance of reeling in the 8-15 favourite, who overcame fears about the soft ground.

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"You needed tractor tyres to go on that today and he hasn't got them but he has got a jet engine," said record-breaking O'Brien, with 43 British Classics to his name.

"Everything we've asked him to do, he finds it very easy. We've never had a horse like that."

James Doyle denied Moore a big race double on versatile Club Godolphin Cesarewitch hero The Shunter (14-1).

The Shunter (14-1) (centre) led home an Irish-trained one-two in the Club Godolphin Cesarewitch. Pied Piper (13-2) was second and the next places were filled by Tashkhan (25-1), Bashful Boy (100-1) and Sheishybrid (14-1) (PA)

It was a plan 11 months in the making for Grand National-winning trainer Emmet Mullins, his horse sporting the famous JP McManus silks. The ten-year-old, successful over fences at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, stayed on dourly to defeat Moore's ante-post favourite Pied Piper.

However the fellow Irish raider was overtaken in the market by plunge horse Lot Of Joy, only 11th after being backed in to 6-1 favourite from 28-1.

"In the race he (The Shunter) was deadly, he travelled super and I was just picking off gaps and got there plenty soon enough," said Doyle. "He definitely had the heart for the battle, it just depended whether we had the petrol in the engine."

William Buick and Charlie Appleby completed a 20-1 treble in the supporting Group contests, thanks to Ancient Wisdom (2-1jf), Arabian Crown (10-11f) and Highland Avenue (11-4f).

Melissa Jones