Was Troy an all-time great racehorse?
Brilliance endurance
- Yes
- No
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Today, on March 25th, the world of horse racing celebrates the 50th birthday of the legendary racehorse Troy, who triumphed in the historic 200th running of the Epsom Derby, in 1979. It was fitting that the 200th Derby was a testament to the glory of the event, with Troy simply turning it into a procession. I have unforgettable memories of this equine icon, who I saw racing, in my schooldays in England.
An outstanding -middle distance runner., Troy gave a series of scintillating performances in 1979, to blaze the British racetrack like a true champion. He simply towered head and shoulders above any other British racehorse epitomising the perfect middle Distance thoroughbred.As a two-year-old, the colt ran four times, finishing 1st twice and being placed second twice. He was second in a maiden and after he won the Plantation Maiden Stakes and Lanson Champagne Stakes (Listed) while finished runner-up in the Royal Lodge Stakes (Gr.2).
As a 3-year-old, Troy won his first two races. He won the Predominate Stakes and scored a thrilling, neck to neck victory over the Steve Cauthen ridden Two of Diamonds in the Guardian Classic. Troy was now installed as one of the favourites for the Derby at Epsom, which was to be the 200th Edition of the race.
For the Blue Riband Troy’s major contenders came from Milford, winner of the Lingfield Derby trial, Ela-Mana-Mou, the previous year’s Royal Lodge Stakes winner and Tap On Wood, the 2,000 Guineas winner. Ela-Mana-Mou started as the favourite. Troy was next preferred in the market.
Lyphard’s Wish set a hot pace until Tattenham corner closely followed by Milford. At Tattenham corner, Willie Carson on Troy seemed to be virtually stuck on the rails in 7th place. Into the straight, Milford faded and 3 furlongs from home, the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Dickens’s Hill, hit the front and was shaping like a likely winner before Troy arrived on the scene on the outside like a character just introduced into a novel., orchestrating a 360-degree turn in plot.
The great bay horse simply treated the rest of the field like mowing down a bunch of daisies. The acceleration showed had transcendental overtones. Three furlongs out Troy looked dead and buried, before Wille Carson. manoeuvred him to the wide outside, and gave him 2-3 smacks of the whip. Troy responded with an electrifying burst, coming from 6 lengths adrift to draw 7 lengths clear. He had won by the largest margin since Manna won in 1925 (8 lengths). It was arguably the most authoritative or comprehensive Epsom Derby win since Sea Bird won in 1965.Dickens Hill finished second followed by Northern Baby and the favourite Ela-Mana-Mou.
Willie Carson was overjoyed as he had won his first Derby. Two years back in the Derby, he was to be denied victory by a neck on Hot Grove, when he seemed to have the race al but won a furlong from home (The Minstrel caught him in the last 50 yards). He had preferred Troy to his stable mate Milford, owned by the Queen. His decision ironically proved to be correct. Troy had been syndicated for 7,2 millions Pounds, a record sum at the time.
A fortnight later, Troy ran in the Irish Derby. At the Curragh racecourse. Rivadon set a scorching pace being a pacemaker for Troy. The Bart and the two French colts, Fabulous Dancer and Scorpio followed him. Just before the turn, The Bart took the lead. At this point, Troy was pushed into a handy position behind them and then pulled to the outside to cruise home, with the minimum effort of a Rolls Royce Car. The pacemaker, Rivadon played a pivotal win in Troy’s victory as he had made the field well strung out. To enable Troy of the bit. Troy had won by 4 long-looking lengths, which looked more like 7.
Troy faced older horses for the first time in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. Sadly, Ile De Bourbon, the previous year’s winner was missing. The latter had won the Coronation Cup with disdain from Gay Mecene (son of the great Vaguely Noble) who went on to win the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
Road To Glory set a suitable pace. The Argentinian Triple Crown Winner, Telescopico, followed him. Swinging into the straight, Road To Glory and Telescopico began to weaken and Ela-Mana-Mou seized the lead. At this point, Carson urged Troy and drew level with the leader. For 100 yards Ela-Mana-Mou gave Troy a strong fight but eventually gave in. Troy began to draw away when Gay Mecene came with a strong run to challenge Troy. It must be mentioned that the filed was missing the champion 4-year-old Ile De Bourbon, the previous year’s winner of the year, whose presence may well have turned the race into an enthralling contest or duel.
Bestowing the valiant and unwavering spirit of a warrior, the great horse warded of Gay Mecene’s challenge to win by a length and a half. Troy had crowned himself the European horse of the year. Although he didn’t beat his rivals anywhere as comprehensively as in the two Derbies, he turned in a most gallant performance.
Troy became the fourth horse to complete the treble of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and King George. He followed the footsteps of Nijinsky, Grundy and The Minstrel.
Troy that day proved he was a truly great horse and not just a very good horse. He claimed a permanent place in the list of all-time greats like Nijinsky or Mill Reef, however that day, it was a great regret to racing that Ile De Bourbon, the 1978 Champion could not participate, due to fitness. It would have been one of flat racing’s great spectacles witnessing the two champions take on each other (Ile de Bourbon won the 1978 King George against a top-class field the previous year and that season decimated rivals in the Coronation Cup, including Gay Mecene).
As a preliminary to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Troy ran in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup. Troy started as a 2-1 favourite.
Crimson Beau set the pace. As the field turned into the straight, he forfeited his lead. With five furlongs from home, Troy was only ahead of two horses. Four furlongs from home, Willie Carson stepped the gas and 2 furlongs from home drew his mount into the front. After hitting the front 2 lengths clear, Carson dropped his reins with 75 metres to go. This enabled Crimson Beau to finish ¾ of a length behind (Carson admitted later that he was not aware how close Crimson Beau finished behind him).
Troy had now become the first to win the Epsom Derby. Irish Derby, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes and the Benson and Hedges.
Troy now looked set create history by becoming the first horse ever to win the quartet of the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, King George 6th Diamond Stakes and Prix De, LArc De Triomphe. – a feat which the legendary came within a whisker of achieving.
Sadly, in the Arc Troy was beaten by Three Troikas. He finished a gallant third. In my opinion had Troy been his old self and reproduced his scintillating summer form, he would almost certainly have won. It was a sad sight that in his farewell race he could not leave on a winning note. Neverthless Timeform gave Troy a rating of 137, being rated as one of the top middle-distance horses of the decade (compared to Mill Reef, Nijinsky and Alleged), being ranked only behind Mil Reef, Nijinsky and Alleged.Troy in my rating would secure a permanent place amongst the British all-time greats. He could be categorized with great horses like Crepello, Sir Ivor, Alleged, Generous, Nashwan Grundy, etc and just a cut marginally below the Superstars like Mill Reef, Nijinsky, Shergar or Dancing Brave (horse one can see once in a lifetime.
At stud the great horse produced five Group winners and seven stakes’ winners. His progeny includes Pilsudski (1986 Breeders’ Cup Turf, 1997 Champion Stakes, Irish Champion Stakes, Japan Cup), Oath (1990 Epsom Derby), Fastness (Eddie Read Handicap and 1996 America’s best miler) and Pelder (Prix Ganay, Premio Parioli and the best 3yo of Italy), all of them, classic winners.“Mill Reef, Nijinsky, Shergar or Dancing Brave (horse one can see once in a lifetime.”
I saw two of those in my lifetime, and plenty of people would have seen all four. So they weren’t really “once in a lifetime” horses, were they?
On the subject of Troy himself, he was obviously a top class horse but i wouldn’t put him amongst the greats, although it must be conceded that different people will have their own definition of that vastly overused term.
I voted a tentative No.
Troy was clearly very high class and an above average Derby winner. I believe Hern and Carson rated him as their best Epsom horse, purely on his performance on the day. They considered Nashwan at his very best over shorter distances.
I don’t believe Troy did enough to be considered amongst the all time greats, although I wouldn’t argue too strongly with those people who believe he was. It is a game of opinions.
A very good horse without a shadow of a doubt but not an all time great for me, although had he won the Arc then he might have been allowed into the room to be part of the discussion of getting a seat at the “All Time Greats” table.
It was a memorable Derby for sure, with him sweeping past the field the way he did – I vividly remember watching it live on TV (in the glorious days it was on a Wednesday…sigh).
BUT, thrilling as the style of the win was, I wouldn’t have him down as an all-time great. Very, very good, but not an ‘all-time great’ – I’d reserve that category for horses such as Nijinsky, Dancing Brave, Frankel and a few others. I don’t think Troy quite reached those heights. You can’t have too many ‘all-time greats’.
From Wikipedia – In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Troy a “great” Derby winner and the sixteenth best British racehorse of the 20th Century
And they would be better judges than me!
He died at 7 years old and didn’t really get a chance to prove himself at stud but in that short time he proved himself a highly promising broodmare sire and was the damsire of horses such as Oath, Pilsudski, Street Cry and Westerner.
Cormack15
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