M.V. MAGNIER will rarely spend €680,000 as wisely as he did at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2013, when he purchased a daughter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and the unraced Green Room (Theatrical) from Ballylinch Stud.
The then half-sister to Group 1 Prix Jean Prat winner Lord Shanakill (Speightstown) was named Together Forever, and the following year she won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket. She looked to be even more of a bargain when her full-sister, Forever Together (Galileo), gained her only victory in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom.
The story got better last year when Together Forever’s fifth foal, the Orpendale, Chelston and Wynatt-bred City Of Troy, a son of Justify (Scat Daddy), was champion juvenile in Europe after an unbeaten season that was crowned when he landed the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. The colt’s sophomore year got off to a disappointing start when he ran down the field in the 2000 Guineas, but his trainer never lost faith, and last Saturday City Of Troy won what appears to be a vintage renewal of the Group 1 Derby.
It is incredible to think that some joked about, and even ridiculed, trainer Aidan O’Brien’s explanation of what happened at Newmarket, seeming to overlook that this is a genius who has saddled the winners of 399 Group and Grade 1 races, and has trained 10 winners of the Epsom centrepiece.
The Derby in recent years has perhaps lost some of its lustre, especially when it comes to being seen as a stallion-making race. Its French equivalent has performed must better, though it is run over a furling and a half less.
Epsom still throws up exceptional winners, and there may have been few recently to match the quality of City Of Troy.
Standard bearer
In addition to proving himself on the track, City Of Troy is also the standard bearer on this side of the Atlantic for Ashford Stud’s Justify, and one of four Group/Grade 1 winners from that champion’s second crop.
Grade 1 winners Arabian Lion and Aspen Grove, successful in the Woody Stephens Stakes and Belmont Oaks respectively, were the stars of his first crop.
They have since been joined by City Of Troy, the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Opera Singer (out of a mare by Sadler’s Wells (Northern Dancer)), and a pair of fillies who were successful at last year’s Breeders’ Cup, Hard To Justify in the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes winner Just F Y I who won the Grade 1 Juvenile Fillies.
Last year I penned the following. “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 [in 2023] can be very pleased with themselves; you won’t get a chance to do so again!”
This year Justify’s fee was private, a move taken after the Breeders’ Cup. Prior to that meeting, it was announced that he would stand at $200,000, but that can only have changed in one direction.
Expectation
As a juvenile City Of Troy lived up to expectation when he ran away with the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, establishing himself as the best juvenile colt in Europe. He had won first time out in the Barronstown Stud Maiden at the Curragh on Irish Derby weekend. Two weeks later he lit up the seven-furlong Group 2 bet365 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket when winning by six and a half lengths. He rounded out his year by becoming Aidan O’Brien’s eighth winner of the Dewhurst.
City Of Troy is the fifth foal, winner and stakes performer out of Together Forever. The others include Military Style (War Front) who won the Group 3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown as a juvenile on his third start, beating Van Gogh by a neck. This was after he won a Naas maiden on his debut and was placed on the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes in Cork.
Military Style was the second offspring of Together Forever, the first being King Of Athens (War Front). Beaten eight lengths by his stablemate Arizona when runner-up to that colt on his first run, 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.
Full-brothers
Together Forever’s third produce was another full-brother, Absolute Ruler (War Front). He made a good start to his racing career for Donnacha O’Brien, winning at Dundalk. He was less than a length behind the winner when third in the Group 2 Golden Fleece Stakes at Leopardstown.
However, he followed a pattern with his older siblings, their flat form falling away, though he did win again, this time in a maiden hurdle at Huntingdon.
City Of Troy’s full-brother Unbelievable (Justify), a $750,000 yearling buy at Keeneland, won twice and was placed three times, all his starts when with Aidan O’Brien. Then named Bertinelli, he was third in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot to Desert Hero, a subsequent Group 3 winner who placed in the Group 1 St Leger.
Sent to Hong Kong, last month Unbelievable indicated that a stakes win was within his scope when he was third in a Group 3, not beaten by much.
Together Forever has an unraced two-year-old filly in training by Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) named Takemetothemoon, a yearling filly by Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), and a filly foal by Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday). Together Forever and Forever Together (Galileo), who sold to M.V. Magnier for €900,000 at Goffs, were bred by Vimal and Gillian Khosla. Their dam Green Room’s first foal, Lord Shankill, sold to BBA Ireland for $110,000 as a yearling at Keeneland.
At two he failed by just a nose to land the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, finding Intense Focus too good, but he gained his top-flight success at three when he beat all-comers in the Prix Jean Prat.
Sale stars
Green Room never ran and was sold at Tattersalls at three for 20,000gns to Kinsale Bloodstock. Covered by Speightstown (Gone West), who then stood for $40,000, she resold at Keeneland for $240,000.
Dam of eight winners, Green Room is also responsible for a number of sale stars, including the stakes-placed non-winner Do You Love Me (Galileo). She sold for €3,200,000 as a yearling.
A year after that, Green Room’s yearling daughter of Galileo, Espania, also passed through the Goffs ring, acquired for €3,000,000 by M.V. Magnier. She did not race and is at stud. After a gap of a few years, Green Room has produced two colts by Waldgeist (Galileo), the unraced juvenile Atlantic Sunset, and a yearling.
Green Room is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes winner Spanish Fern (El Gran Senor), and she was runner-up in the same race. Their unraced sibling Rusty Back (Defensive Play) bred Heatseeker (Giant’s Causeway) who began his racing career in Ireland and placed in the Group 1 National Stakes at two.
In the USA he become a Grade 1 winner, successful in the Santa Anita Handicap. Another sibling, three-time winner Dayville (Dayjur), is grandam of the Italian Group 1 juvenile winner 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 also bred a classic winner in Haafhd (Alhaarth).
Descending from Al Bahathri are a number of global Group 1 winners, in addition to the young Group 1 sire Havana Grey (Havana Gold).
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