WA Breeders Take Note - Half-Brother to City of Troy Standing at St Jude Farm

Media Release - Thursday November 2

"Unbelievable... I've never had a horse like him... he's got a jet engine... no doubt the best two-year-old I've trained." - Just some of the accolades Aidan O'Brien has for the exciting City Of Troy who remained undefeated winning the Group I Dewhurst Stakes in sensational style last month.

King of Athens (USA) is standing his third season at St Jude Farm.

And St Jude Farm is home to his exciting half-brother King Of Athens (USA).

Bred on the outstanding War Front/Sadler's Wells cross, he was chased up due to his Together Forever dam being a Group 1 winner at two - and a young mare with plenty of upside.

Upside which is becoming wildly apparent in the wake of City Of Troy's great form!

City of Troy is seen as something exceptional by the team at Ballydoyle and Coolmore. - image Coolmore

"He's just so natural, he has unbelievable rhythm and an unbelievable mind... he looks a very special horse," O'Brien said.

"And we don't know where the limit is - we usually push them but we can never find his limit, he just goes along with his ears pricked."

Jockey Ryan Moore is also impressed - "there is a massive engine there - he is as exciting a two-year-old as I have ever ridden."

Length of stride is one attribute City Of Troy has, something also noted about his dam - and in the first foals being sired by King Of Athens - and they have respected horsewoman Sue Benthien excited.

Advertisement

"I have never seen foals like these," she said. "They all come out looking like they are a week old - they don't have that usual gangliness and most of them are up and nursing within 30 to 45 minutes."

Sue is also impressed not only by this get up and go attitude being expressed by the King Of Athens foals, but also by their type - "they have very strong muscle development with great bone."

King of Athens stands at a fee of $3,300.

A horse who showed enough speed to break his maiden by five lengths over 1400m, King Of Athens was tried in good company - unlucky not to have won at stakes level, being only narrowly denied when only just beaten in the Listed Irish 2000 Guineas trial.

Described by O'Brien as "a lovely horse with a great temperament... a colt with lots of quality and plenty of ability," King Of Athens was "regarded highly" by the stable, looking set for a Classic campaign only to have stifle injury curtail his career.

King Of Athens' three times US Champion Sire War Front is proving his worth as a sire of sires with 28 of his sons siring stakes winners - 17 of whom have sired Gr.1 winners including Declaration Of War, sire of a Melbourne Cup and a VRC Derby winner!

With a half-brother like City Of Troy in the limelight, King Of Athens is a horse who is bound to attract increased attention.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Sires With Winners - Friday June 6
Here is the full list of 31 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Yulong Win G1 Met Mile at Saratoga
Yulong have made high profile bloodstock investments all over the world and while they have a US trained miler headed to Royal Ascot in Carl Spackler (IRE), they have another currently racing in North America and Raging Torrent carried their colours to victory at a rain soaked Saratoga to win the Group I Metropolitan Mile (1m).
Kicked out of Australia - Jan Brueghel Wins G1 Coronation
The horse kicked out of Australia last spring as not having suitable scans to race in the Melbourne Cup, Jan Brueghel showed just what we missed out on seeing when taking out the Group I Betfred Coronation Cup (1m4f) at Epsom overnight.
Aussie Owned Wootton Bassett Colt Wins French G3
Exciting Wootton Bassett colt Maranoa Charlie went on his winning way overnight at Longchamp  in France taking out the Group III Prix Paul de Moussac (1400m), a race won last year by high class 3YO Lazzat, who then finished second in the $10million Golden Eagle at Rosehill.
Successive Stakes Wins For Flying Artie’s In Flight
With all her wins being on soft and heavy rated tracks, trainer Joe Pride has chased the rain of late with 4yo Flyng Artie mare In Flight winning the Listed BRC Bright Shadow Stakes last time out at Doomben, before scoring a late dive victory at Randwick on Saturday in the Listed ATC Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m).
2025 Group I Belmont Stakes - Godolphin Celebrate Victory in Triple Crown Finale
Back in May, Godolphin had a rare magical 48 hours when they won the Group I Newmarket 1000 and 2000 Guineas, plus the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks with all four of those star three year-olds scheduled to race over the last 48 hours – so how did they fare?
€1.85million Sale-Topping Frankel Filly Wins Epsom Oaks for Coolmore
The Group I Epsom Oaks (1m4f) had a raging hot favourite in undefeated Godolphin entry Desert Flower, but she came up short in her first try at the classic trip going down to finish third behind the Aidan O’Brien trained duo Minnie Hauk (Frankel and Whirl (Wootton Bassett).
North Pacific 2YO Ready to Win
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200.
Third Generation Epsom Derby Hero for Coolmore
The Group I Epsom Derby (1m4f) was the big highlight overnight in the UK and the scratching of Godolphin owned favourite Ruling Court due to track condition meant it was an open affair with the second string horse from Ballydoyle in Lambourn coming up trumps and also bringing joy for the Aussie offshoot of his family.
G1 Pedigree Watch – Blueblood 3YOs Win Queensland Classics
A funny thing happened at Eagle Farm on Saturday when both the Group I BRC Queensland Derby (2400m) and Oaks (2200m) were won by 20-1 shots that had never won a stakes race, but they had two interesting things in common and that was very famous families and the Epsom Derby winner High Chaparral!