In racing, as in life, it's always wise to have a Plan B. City Of Troy's daring bid for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday was over almost as soon as it began, but the Coolmore Stud syndicate owners were still beaming in the winner's enclosure shortly after Chad Brown's Sierra Leone, a colt from the American arm of Coolmore, edged out Fierceness by a length and a half.
There was a sense of 'win or bust' about the bold move to send City Of Troy to the Classic, and that's exactly how it played out. A sluggish start left him at a disadvantage from the outset, and the main action quickly unfolded far ahead of him, with Fierceness setting a blistering pace halfway through. Fierceness was still in contention a quarter of a mile out, but the relentless gallop left him spent as Sierra Leone surged past at the top of the stretch. Flavien Prat's mount maintained a strong pace to win by a length and a half, with Forever Young, Japan's big hope, finishing third. City Of Troy and Ryan Moore eventually crossed the line in eighth place.
"He lost it at the start, and I obviously didn't have him prepared to come out quick enough," said Aidan O'Brien, City Of Troy's trainer. "We thought we did, but we didn't. He missed it, leaving Ryan with no chance, the race was over at the start." O'Brien added, "He's been an incredible horse, and it's so sporting of the lads [in the Coolmore syndicate] to let us have a go at this race. It's been a pleasure and a privilege to have him, and we'll look forward to having his foals."
Ryan Moore described City Of Troy as having "run a very brave race," noting, "He's come to Del Mar for the Classic, and in the previous two Classics [at the track] there were eight or nine runners, today there were 14 and they went very, very fast. He got a lot of kickback, which he hadn't experienced, which was hard for him. I think he was very brave to keep up."
If the Classic's outcome was a letdown after two months of buildup for European racing fans, the earlier races on turf during the Breeders' Cup card brought more reasons to celebrate. European-trained horses swept all three of Friday's turf events, and the streak continued on Saturday as Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan secured a Breeders' Cup victory with Starlust in the Turf Sprint, adding to their triumph with Bluestocking in last month's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Ryan executed a smooth run between horses aboard Starlust, and while the stewards held an inquiry after he nudged Isivunguvungu and Manny Franco on the way through, the result was allowed to stand.
"It was just one of those days," Ryan said. "Luck was on our side, it opened up so well." He continued, "But whatever about it opening, by the time it did open, I was there, I had the horse." Ryan added, "This horse has been knocking on the door all year. It's great to see him finally do it on the big stage. He's been a bridesmaid. But brilliant, unbelievable performance."
Rebel's Romance, from Charlie Appleby's Newmarket stable, added another win to the European tally in the Turf, but there was a tragic postscript to the race as Brian Meehan's Jayarebe collapsed and died from a suspected heart attack while being pulled up.
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