THIS year’s British flat season had similarities with how the second half of the jumps campaign unfolded. A hype horse, beginning with the letter ‘C’ was the talk of the town, but their journey through the year was far from simple.
In this case, it wasn’t Constitution Hill. Instead, City Of Troy caught our attention.
He was the flag bearer for not only Coolmore, but for British and Irish racing, when travelling over to Del Mar at the end of the season.
There was a lot of hype around his challenge at the Breeders’ Cup Classic. We had his action on the track, the Southwell gallop, and all of ‘the lads’ in the new merch.
But, his first assignment came in the 2000 Guineas. His odds? 4/6. His record? Unbeaten. His jockey? One of the all-time greats.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple for the son of Justify. He finished ninth of 11 and faded badly with two furlongs to go. It was all a bit of a head-scratcher in the moment.
While that was going on, Notable Speech streaked clear to give William Buick his first, and Charlie Appleby his second, Newmarket 2000 Guineas title. The Dubawi colt also became the first horse ever to win the race on their turf debut, which is quite the feat.
It wasn’t all bad for the Irish on Guineas weekend, however. Donnacha O’Brien came agonisingly close to winning the 1000 Guineas with Porta Fortuna, and Aidan O’Brien’s Ylang Ylang finished a close fifth, but the spoils went the way of Elmalka for Roger Varian.
Both of the Newmarket classics produced what turned out to be very good races this year, and the form was put to good use three weeks later when Inisherin won the Sandy Lane Stakes. More to follow.
Ballydoyle magic
Fast-forward to Epsom, the home of the Derby, and Aidan O’Brien showed why he is the ‘special one’.
After the Guineas disappointment, and following a few interviews where he had to confirm just what height the colt was, the champion juvenile of 2023 went off a remarkable 3/1 for the Epsom classic.
Well, his performance was truly a sight to behold, which is a phrase that could be copied and pasted for a few more of his subsequent performances. Euphoric was sent in as the sacrificial lamb in order to set a nice pace, but City Of Troy still had work to do from his 10th-place position around Tattenham Corner.
Did this faze Ryan Moore? What do you think?
Ballydoyle’s number one sat tight, waited for the opening on the inside rail, and made his move for flat racing history. The race certainly made us realise why Aidan O’Brien and the team at Ballydoyle had waxed lyrically about him for the best part of a year.
Of the three Group 1 contests across the two-day meeting, O’Brien collected two as Luxembourg won the Coronation Cup on Oaks Day. Stallion duties now beckon for him, and that top-level success over 12 furlongs probably influenced the decision to use him as a National Hunt stallion.
Although O’Brien had the well-backed favourite in the Oaks with Ylang Ylang, the opening classic of the weekend went the way of the Dermot Weld-trained Ezeliya, a very impressive winner and a first British classic win for Chris Hayes. 
With just four runs and three successes on her record, the sky looked the limit, but that day in Surrey was her last, as she suffered a setback before being retired by the Aga Khan.
By Dubawi and out of the Group 2 winner Eziyra, one would hope she can produce some nice offspring going forward.
ROYAL Ascot. The pinnacle of British flat racing. Five days of global superstars and the odd draw bias on the straight track.
The week kicked off in fine style. Charyn, who started off his season early in March’s Doncaster Mile, landed in the Queen Anne Stakes to reward favourite punters. Having not won a race from seven starts in the 2023 season, he certainly put that luckless run behind him this year.
With his SP of 80/1, very few people found Rashabar in the Coventry Stakes, but the King Charles III Stakes more or less followed the intended script. Australian trainer Henry Dwyer and connections made a bold call to bring Asfoora halfway around the world to tackle the electric five-furlong test, but their boldness was rewarded.
As Dwyer said subsequently: “It was a pie-in-the-sky goal.” Well, dreams do certainly come true in this great game.
It didn’t take long for the 2000 Guineas form to come to the fore. Precisely, it took just four races for Rosallion, second to Notable Speech on the Rowley Mile, to reverse the form with Godolphin’s classic winner in the St James’s Palace Stakes. There may have been big talk from the team at Coolmore regarding City Of Troy, but Richard Hannon labelling him as “special” shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Did the Guineas form show up anywhere else? Of course it did. Inisherin backed up his Sandy Lane success in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and Haatem just got up in the Group 2 Jersey Stakes. Porta Fortuna and Ramatuelle finished a good 1-3 in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes to also frank the 1000 Guineas form. 
Pedigree heaven
Day two of the meeting was one for the breeding lovers. Illinois, a Galileo half-brother to Danedream, won the Queen’s Vase, Auguste Rodin, by Deep Impact out of the Lockinge winner Rhododendron, collected the Prince Of Wales’s, and Doha, a Sea The Stars filly out of the Arc winner Treve, landed the Kensington Palace Stakes. Beautiful.
Even the late, great Roaring Lion got in on the action thanks to Running Lion in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, while the 22/1-shot Leovanni caused a minor shock in the Queen Mary. The Kodi Bear filly started a wave of winners for Wathnan Racing, the real up-and-coming force in flat ownership.
Shareholder led in a 1-5 for the blue and yellow silks in the Norfolk Stakes, before English Oak took home the Buckingham Palace Stakes. Haatem, obliging on the final day of the meeting, added the final touches to a landmark week for Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Second Gold Cup
Arguably the best performance of the week came in the most prestigious race. It’s always nice when that happens. That’s because Kyprios won his second Gold Cup, fending off the sustained challenge of Trawlerman to win by a length.
With all the issues he had in 2023, and the slightly slow start to his 2024 campaign, seeing him crowned as the Gold Cup winner again truly put his name into the ‘greatest ever stayer’ debate.
Port Fairy, Fairy Godmother and Bedtime Story capped off another good week for O’Brien, and it’s fair to say that the quality on display at Royal Ascot from flag fall to finish was unmatched.
Middle-distance quality
The middle-distance division this year was hotly contested, full of top-quality horses, who all had good reasons to win Group 1 races. In other words, it’s something we all dream of.
This all kicked off with the returning Derby winner City Of Troy in the Coral-Eclipse. He wasn’t flashy and he was probably more laboured than his 1/4 SP suggested, but he got the job done. Ultimately, the second, Al Riffa, won a Group 1 in Germany on his next start and the fourth, See The Fire, won the Strensall Stakes two starts later. The form worked out.
With the Justify colt occupied at Sandown, O’Brien set his eyes on the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes with Auguste Rodin, Luxembourg, and Hans Andersen.
Success for Ballymore didn’t materialise, however, as French raider Goliath streaked clear at 25/1 to beat the subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking and subsequent Breeders’ Cup Turf victor Rebel’s Romance.
In between these performances, Porta Fortuna backed up her Royal Ascot success with a runaway victory in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, while Mill Stream landed his first, and only, Group 1 win of his career in the July Cup.
Having done the same in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, Swingalong finished a very close second to Mill Stream. Talk about a bridesmaid season for Karl Burke’s talented Showcasing filly.
GLORIOUS Goodwood and York’s Ebor Festival offer great post-Royal Ascot action to dive into every season, and their respective 2024 renewals did not disappoint.
That man O’Brien went close to landing a memorable Group 1 treble at the Glorious meeting thanks to Kyprios in the Goodwood Cup and Opera Singer in the Nassau Stakes. Henry Longfellow went off a well-backed favourite for the Sussex Stakes, but Notable Speech bounced back with an effortless victory instead.
The way that the Goodwood patrons applauded as he paraded back in front of the stands, just shows how highly he was thought of.
Speaking of horses that have captured many an imagination, Big Evs vs Asfoora round two played out in the King George Qatar Stakes.
With a 2lb swing in the weights and a slightly troubled passage for Australia’s representative, Michael Appleby’s Group 1 winner won the battle in a photo finish. The scoreline stood at 1-1.
George Boughey’s filly Believing finished third here, following two fourth placings at Royal Ascot and then placing in three Group 1s in the second half of the season.
Juddmonte International
Up next, York, and the long-awaited effort of City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International.
On paper, the race looked like a belter. Calandagan, Bluestocking, Durezza, Ghostwriter, Ambiente Friendly, Alflaila, Israr, Maljoom and more.
The presence of Hans Andersen, Ballydoyle’s designated pacesetter for the season, made us all think he would take them along before relinquishing the lead. How wrong we were.
City Of Troy led from pillar-to-post in a breathtaking performance to see off the late surge of Calandagan, the impressive King Edward VII Stakes winner.
In the process, he became the first horse since Sea The Stars to do Derby, Eclipse, and York International treble, pushing his name into the racing history books.
Bradsell would go on to be named the Cartier Sprinter of the Year. Considering his seasonal reappearance came at the start of August, that was some feat.
Three Group 1s, one listed contest, and a runners-up medal in the Prix de l’Abbaye is a great haul, and his one British Group 1 was the Nunthorpe Stakes. Ponntos set electric early fractions, allowing Hollie Doyle and Bradsell to stalk before lunging down the far side rail. It was certainly a fascinating contest.
As for the other Group 1 event on the Knavesmire, A.P. O’Brien collected his eighth Yorkshire Oaks, this time with Content (a 100th individual Group/Grade 1 winner for Galileo), further boosting the Porta Fortuna form. She really had every form line pointing back to her in 2024.
Henry de Bromhead is a regular on the National Hunt reviews but he produced Magical Zoe with Billy Lee on board to win the Ebor, another success for the Irish.
WITH the bulk of the flat festivals out of the way, the home stretch of the season was firmly in view.
O’Brien took home his final two Group 1s of the British season, starting in the final classic of the year.
Jan Brueghel remained unbeaten to succeed in the St Leger Stakes, while the uber-impressive unbeaten Lake Victoria won the Cheveley Park Stakes two weeks later. As expected, Aidan O’Brien had a fantastic British flat season. He is truly one of the greats.
A quickfire Group 1 double for Shadow Of Light followed, starting with the Middle Park and ending with the Dewhurst. In the space of two weeks, we got to see two very live contenders for the 1000 and 2000 Guineas next season.
Lake Victoria is already the ante-post favourite thanks to her obvious chance, while Shadow Of Light unearthed a degree of stamina in the Dewhurst that not even his trainer Charlie Appleby thought was there. He is very interesting going forward.
Tamfana and Desert Flower delivered the goods at Newmarket in the Sun Chariot and Fillies’ Mile respectively, which left one final big day on the calendar.
BRITISH Champions Day at Ascot, the true end to the UK flat season.
Things got off to a very familiar start in the Long Distance Cup, as Kyprios returned to Ascot and beat Trawlerman and Sweet William.
Similar shades of deja’vu continued in the British Champions Sprint, with Swingalong finishing a close second in a six-furlong Ascot Group 1, though the winner on this occasion was Kind Of Blue.
Wathnan Racing reached into their pockets to buy him after his close second in the Sprint Cup, and that gamble was instantly rewarded. Good business.
In the same month as Bluestocking won the Arc, another Juddmonte mare landed an important Group 1. This time, it was Kalpana in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, and Andrew Balding even mentioned the Paris-Longchamp feature as a potential race for next season in his post-race interview.
Forty minutes later, Charyn showed us all why he was the best miler in 2024, with a gritty success over Facteur Cheval. At one point, it looked as if Silvestre de Sousa had been too relaxed on him, but the four-year-old got going at an important moment to remain in front of the rallying French raider.
Finally, with the hype surrounding Economics, Calandagan, King’s Gambit, and Los Angeles, it was Owen Burrows’ Irish-bred Anmaat, priced at a remarkable 40/1, who won the Qipco Champion Stakes.
To have 439 days off the track ahead of this season and win a Group 1 of that nature, after a poor performance in France 14 days earlier, was quite astonishing.
There was no fluke about the performance; he was the best horse on the day.
And so, Champions Day came to a close after Carrytheone’s win in the Balmoral Handicap.
In fairness, it all ended when Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell went on to sweep up the final British Group 1 of the year in the Futurity Trophy, so the Irish did have the final say in the 2024 flat season. No surprises there.