Coral-Eclipse Stakes |
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| Group 1, Sandown Park 15:35 £750,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 1f 209y, Class 1  |
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1 City Of Troy 1/4
2 Al Riffa 11/1
3 Ghostwriter 12/1
6 ran NR: Jayarebe, Stay Alert Distances: 1l, 1l, 5½l
Time: 2m 9.80s (slow by 2.80s)
Job done ✅
— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) July 6, 2024
𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐲 holds off Al Riffa to win the Coral Eclipse @Sandownpark.
He joins an elite band of horses to do the Derby & Eclipse double.
pic.twitter.com/btCYsHdOR9
City Of Troy defied the challenging conditions at Sandown to secure a hard-fought victory.
The Derby winner, who rebounded at Epsom after a lackluster performance in the 2000 Guineas, entered the race as the 1-4 favorite with Ryan Moore in the saddle.
Under trainer Aidan O’Brien’s guidance, City Of Troy tracked behind stablemate Hans Andersen, but when asked to accelerate, he didn’t display the expected burst of speed.
Nevertheless, he surged into the lead and managed to fend off a late challenge from 11-1 outsider Al Riffa, winning by a length. Ghostwriter finished third, trailing by five and a half lengths.
The testing ground conditions in Esher kept Ballydoyle’s master on edge, as connections anxiously watched the race unfold.
“We were very worried about the ground, we walked it before and it was very soft and tough deep ground, softer than it was in the Dewhurst,” he said.
“He was pitched into unknown territory today and I remember before the Dewhurst we were very worried and took the chance but to walk it today, it was deeper, way deeper.
“It is always tough to watch because the difference between winning and not winning can be massive and I’m delighted for everyone.
“In all fairness to the lads, 15 years ago they would have taken him out, they wouldn’t have run him, but we’re so lucky they enjoy their racing so much now that they wanted to be here and they wanted to run him.
“To walk it I was very afraid, but the lads made the right decision – it was a long discussion.”
O’Brien felt the victory came in spite of the going, which would not be the obvious surface for a horse with an American dirt champion for a sire.
The trainer said: “He’s a beautiful good ground horse, a real fast ground mover and he has won despite the ground. It would have been easy to take him out but the lads all came and they wanted to run him. It was tough because that is specialist ground and it didn’t go to plan because of the whole thing.
“He won quite well in the end. Dylan (Browne McMonagle, on Al Riffa) said coming in that he had him and then he went again. He said he thought he had him, but he was always maintaining.”
City Of Troy was unchanged in the market for the Juddmonte International and the Breeders’ Cup Classic with bookmakers Quinnbet and Betfair, whereas William Hill eased him from 6-4 to 2-1 for the former race and from 6-1 to 8-1 for the latter.
On future plans, O’Brien said: “I don’t know what the lads will do but I would imagine they will have a look at either the Juddmonte International Stakes (at York) or the Irish Champion Stakes.
“After that we will maybe look at America. Everything about him is good ground or better. I would imagine he could finish off in America in the Classic. That is what he is bred to be, his dad was a dirt horse.”
Moore admitted he had expected the win to be more convincing and pointed to the going to echo O’Brien’s assessment of the race.
He said: “I suppose in reality everyone was expecting him to win and probably be more impressive, and so was I. But the ground was an inconvenience for him.
“I was happy enough with where I was but halfway round the bend the ground was a little bit loose and he just lost his action for a stride.
“Ghostwriter took a length out of me and I wasn’t going as comfortably as I should have been, it just took me a while to organise him.
“I got to the two furlong marker and I had to go and I thought he did well because I wasn’t really happy up until then. He found plenty and it never really felt like he was going to get beat.
“I still think we are learning about him and I thought the ground was an inconvenience so I’m happy he has won but I do think there is more there. I thought he would probably beat them by 10 lengths today and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it next time.
“These conditions are not what he wants, he has an extravagant action and slow ground into a headwind is not easy. I think he will be better in a higher-tempo race.”
On the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Moore added: “I’ve never ridden a Breeders’ Cup Classic horse so I don’t know what that takes. I think this horse has the engine and the ability but we have to work out if he has the right action for it.”
Coral-Eclipse (British Champions Series) (Group 1)
£750,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 1f 209y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (8) City Of Troy 3 8-13 A P O'Brien Ryan Moore 1/4F
2 (7) 1 Al Riffa 4 9-9 Joseph O'Brien Dylan Browne McMonagle 11/1
3 (1) 1 Ghostwriter 3 8-13 Clive Cox Richard Kingscote 12/1
4 (4) 5½ See The Fire 3 8-10 Andrew Balding David Probert 28/1
5 (3) 3¾ Hans Andersen 4 9-9 A P O'Brien Wayne Lordan 80/1
6 (6) 1¾ Dancing Gemini 3 8-13 Roger Teal Kieran Shoemark 11/1
NR 3 (2) Stay Alert 5 9-6 Hughie Morrison NON RUNNER
NR 7 (5) Jayarebe 3 8-13 Brian Meehan NON RUNNER
