ONLY last week, I wrote that “without doubt, Ashford Stud’s Justify (Scat Daddy) is bound for stardom in the breeding shed, having already been a sensation on the track”.

I then added: “It is incredible to think that having gone to stud at a fee of $150,000, reduced to $125,000 for season three, that Justify has been available for two seasons at $100,000. Anyone who used him this year can be very pleased with themselves – you won’t get a chance to do so again.”

After that, two things happened. Justify’s son City Of Troy lived up to all the words said about his prospects when he ran away with the Group 1 Native Trail’s Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, establishing himself as the best juvenile colt in Europe. Days later, Coolmore America announced that their star stallion would now command a fee of $200,000 in 2024.

Having missed his intended debut at the Curragh in late May, when jockey bookings would indicate that he was playing a supporting role to the Ballydoyle winner that day, Unquestionable, City Of Troy won at the first time of asking when scoring in the Barronstown Stud Maiden at headquarters on Irish Derby weekend. Afterwards, Aidan O’Brien said that “he has great presence; he is strong and powerful.”

Enormous buzz

A fortnight later and City Of Troy created an enormous buzz when he made his first trip overseas, to Newmarket, and this time he won the seven-furlong, Group 2 bet365 Superlative Stakes at the track by six and a half lengths. Unsuitable ground conditions then saw him miss his challenge for the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh, and instead he was kept for the Dewhurst.

He is Aidan O’Brien’s eighth winner of this feature, after Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Beethoven (2009), War Command (2013), Air Force Blue (2015), Churchill (2016), U S Navy Flag (2017), and St Mark’s Basilica (2020).

City of Troy is the fifth foal and winner, four of them stakes performers, out of Together Forever (Galileo). The others include Military Style (War Front), and he won the Group 3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown as a two-year-old on his third start, beating Van Gogh by a neck, and this was after he won a Naas maiden on his debut and was placed on the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes in Cork where he was the odds-on favourite. His form fell away after that and he was sold.

Military Style was the second offspring of Together Forever (Galileo), the first being King Of Athens (War Front). Trounced eight lengths by his stablemate and previously-raced Arizona when runner-up to that colt on his debut, King Of Athens took a while to find a winning opportunity as a juvenile, achieving the feat towards the end of the year on the all-weather at Lingfield. At three he was narrowly beaten in a listed classic trial at Leopardstown, but again his form tailed off and he was sold.

Full-brother

Together Forever’s third produce was a full-brother to her first two winners, Absolute Ruler (War Front). Another to make a favourable start to his career, though he joined Donnacha O’Brien, Absolute Ruler won at the first time of asking at Dundalk, was less than a length behind the winner when third in the Group 2 Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown.

Absolute Ruler was sold to continue his racing career in England, joining Jennie Cavendish, and he hit a purple patch in May and June this year, winning a maiden hurdle at Huntingdon and being placed three times.

The only winner from Together Forever yet to earn blacktype is City Of Troy’s full-brother Bertinelli (Justify), though this $750,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland by Lanni Bloodstock has won twice and placed three times, all his starts. He is also with Aidan O’Brien, and the last time we saw him was at Royal Ascot in June when he was third in the King George V Stakes to Desert Hero, a subsequent Group 3 winner and placed in the Group 1 St Leger.

What lies in store for Together Forever? Well, she has a yearling filly by Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) and a filly foal by Dubawi (Dubai Millennium). This year she was covered by Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday).

Together Forever, a €680,000 Goffs Orby Sale purchase by M.V. Magnier, won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at two, and a couple of years later her full-sister Forever Together (Galileo), sold to Magnier for €900,000 at Goffs, broke her maiden in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom. They were bred by Vimal and Gillian Khosla.

Lord Shanakill

Both Group 1 winning fillies were born after their Theatrical (Nureyev) dam Green Room’s other winner of note. Her first foal was Lord Shankill (Speightstown), and he cost BBA Ireland $110,000 as a yearling at Keeneland.

As a two-year-old Lord Shanakill failed by just a nose to land the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes, finding Intense Focus too good, but he gained that valuable top-flight success in his second season when he travelled to France and beat all-comers in the Prix Jean Prat.

Green Room never ran and was actually sold at Tattersalls as a three-year-old for just 20,000gns to Kinsale Bloodstock. Covered by Speightstown (Gone West), who stood for $40,000 at the time, she was then traded at Keeneland for $240,000, a tidy profit.

Dam of eight winners in all, Green Room is also responsible for a number of notable sale stars, including the stakes-placed, though non-winner, Do You Love Me (Galileo), and she sold for €3,200,000 as a yearling five years ago.

A year after that massive sale result, Green Room’s yearling daughter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), Espania, also passed through the Goffs ring, acquired for €3,000,000 by M.V. Magnier. She did not race and this year had her first foal, a colt by Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).

Could it be a case of 13 being the lucky number for Crone Stud Farm, purchasers of the most recent yearling son of Green Room? They paid just €100,000 for that son by Waldgeist (Galileo) at the Goffs Orby Sale Book 1.

Green Room is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes winner Spanish Fern (El Gran Senor) and that mare was also runner-up in the same race. Their unraced sibling Rusty Back (Defensive Play) bred Heatseeker (Giant’s Causeway). He started in Ireland when he placed in the Group 1 National Stakes at two, but in the USA he blossomed to become a Grade 1 winner of the Santa Anita Handicap. Another sibling, three-time winner Dayville (Dayjur) is grandam of the Italian Group 1 winner and Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes-placed Hearts Of Fire (Firebreak).

Green Room’s unraced dam Chain Fern is a full-sister to the Group 1 classic winner Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom), and she bred a classic winner too in Haafhd (Alhaarth). Also descending from Al Bahathri are a number of Group 1 winners globally. Adding another degree of current success to the family is the young sire sensation Havana Grey (Havana Gold).

With two Grade 1 winner in his first crop of three-year-olds, and three Group/Grade 1-winning juveniles – City Of Troy, Opera Singer and Just F Y I, the unbeaten Justify has the most exciting future to look forward to.