Coolmore's belief in Triple Crown winner Justify , and his sire, Scat Daddy, could come full-spectacular-circle at this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships.
That thought bounced through my head moments after watching Epsom Derby (G1) winner City of Troy nail down his third straight group 1 win Aug. 21 at York with a front-running score in a Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) he controlled throughout before prevailing by a length.
I don't have any numbers or scientific study on this next point (yet), but visually that front-running style suggests Kentucky-bred City of Troy could be well suited for dirt racing. Kudos to the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series' international schedule for tying some races such as the about 1 5/16-mile Juddmonte International to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)—reminding winning connections of that lucrative option.
After City of Troy punched his ticket to the $7 million Classic Nov. 2 at Del Mar, trainer Aidan O'Brien backed such a plan for the Coolmore homebred. O'Brien has never captured the Breeders' Cup Classic.
"The lads can do whatever they want but we always dreamed that he would be a Classic horse," O'Brien told Racing Post. "He stays, he's tough, we're hoping the lads may go to the Classic with him; that would be some dream for him."
While the Win and You're In spot to the Classic could provide a bit of extra motivation, Coolmore has never been one to shy from the turf-to-dirt move. Perhaps most famously Giant's Causeway in his 3-year-old season registered a courageous runner-up finish to Tiznow in the 2000 Classic at Churchill Downs. Giant's Causeway counted the Juddmonte International among his five group 1 wins on turf that year.
There's plenty of belief overseas that City of Troy will handle dirt as European-based bookmakers Aug. 22 listed City of Troy as the early favorite for the Breeders' Cup Classic, in the range of 3-1 to 4-1.
In his brief but spectacular career, Justify never raced on turf as he was retired after winning the 2018 Belmont Stakes (G1) to close out the Triple Crown sweep. Coolmore then purchased Justify from owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing to stand him at its Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky.
That also was the home of Justify's sire, Scat Daddy, until his death in 2015. Scat Daddy won the 2006 Champagne Stakes (G1) at 2 and the 2007 Florida Derby (G1) at 3. All of this surface versatility traces to Scat Daddy's sire, Johannesburg, who as a juvenile earned champion/highweight honors in the United States, England, France, and Ireland.
Among Scat Daddy's 136 black-type winners to date, 58 won a stakes on dirt and 92 won black type on turf, with 14 runners, such as grade 1 winner Mendelssohn , succeeding on both surfaces.
City of Troy's dam, Together Forever, by Galileo, won a group 1 stakes at 2 and is a full sister to 2018 Epsom Oaks (G1) winner Forever Together.
