City Of Troy might not be racing anymore, but last year’s Epsom Derby winner is still picking up awards – after being crowed the Longines 2024 world’s best racehorse with Dubai World Cup hero Laurel River.
2024 World’s Best Racehorse Shared Between City Of Troy and Laurel River
Trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore, who rode City Of Troy in all his eight career races, were at the Savoy on Tuesday night to collect the Longines World’s Best Racehorse award for their four-time Group One winner.
Having been given a world ranking of 128, this was enough for City Of Troy to take the prize, despite his last run before retiring being a disappointing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
City Of Troy still landed four Group Ones in his career, including the Epsom Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International Stakes last season. While in total he banked his Coolmore owners £2,438,732.
He was also sent of favourite with the best horse racing betting sites in the UK for seven of his eight races.
The only race he wasn’t market leader in was his last, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Aidan O’Brien said after picking up the award
“He was always an incredible horse from day one. He came from Coolmore rated an eight, and they are very few and far between. All the foals and yearlings as they go along are rated out of ten. And an eight is nearly as high as any horse ever rated.
“Usually that’s a disadvantage because if you’re focused on a horse that much they do feel the heat and they do crumble, but he was one of the unusual horses who kept taking it. He was given every question and test, but he kept passing it.”
“We always thought the world of him,” added O’Brien. “The whole thing went out of the window at Epsom and it was very hard to get him back from that.
“He went to the Derby without a trial and he’d never run over a mile. Everything was new to him but Ryan [Moore] was very patient and gave him a brilliant ride.”
The City Of Troy Epsom Derby also provided Aidan O’Brien with his tenth success in this English Classic.
Kyprios Was Also Crowned Champion Stayer 2024
On the evening O’Brien’s awards didn’t end with City Of Troy as he also picked up the Champion Stayer crown for his prolific winner Kyprios.
The Champion Sprinter award was shared between Cogburn, I Wish I Win and Ka Ying Rising. With Via Sistina scooping the top-rated filly award for 2024.
Godolphin’s Shadow of Light won the top juvenile with QEII hero Charyn picking up the Champion Miler award.
City Of Troy Shared The World’s Best Racehorse Title With Laurel River
The only slight disappointment for the City Of Troy camp is that he didn’t win the Longines World’s Best Racehorse 2024 award outright.
He had to share the spoils with last season’s Dubai World Cup winner – Laurel River.
Trained by Bhupat Seemar, this Juddmonte-owned horse won five of his seven career starts and banked a cool £5,858,401 in total prize money.
The last horses to share the Longines World’s Best Racehorse award were Crystal Ocean, Enable and Waldgeist in 2019 – they also all had a rating of 128, just like City Of Troy and Laurel River.
City Of Troy Will Stand At Coolmore Stud For €75,000
Having been retired aged just 3 after his Breeders’ Cup run at Del Mar in early November 2024, City Of Troy was retired and will head to stud.
He’ll stand at the Coolmore Stud for €75,000, so in a few year’s time the horse racing world will start to see some City Of Troy offspring.
City Of Troy Career In Numbers
- Rating: 128
- Career Runs: 8
- Wins: 6
- Group One Wins: 4
- Career Earnings: £2,438,732
Recent Longines World’s Best Racehorses (last 10 years)
- 2024 – City Of Troy/Laurel River
- 2023 – Equinox
- 2022 – Flightline
- 2021 – Knicks Go
- 2020 – Ghaiyyath
- 2019 – Crystal Ocean/Enable/Waldgeist
- 2018 – Winx/Cracksman
- 2017 – Arrogate
- 2016 – Arrogate
- 2015 – American Pharoah
Frankel and Flightline Remain The Joint Highest-Ranked Past World’s Best Racehorses
City Of Troy’s 128 rating, however, is still some way off the lofty 140 mark that both Frankel and Flightline got when then won their Longines World’s Best Horse Racing Awards.
Both horses were unbeaten in their careers.
With Frankel (14-from-14) picking up the award in 2011 and 2012, while Flightline (6-from-6) was the winner in 2022.
