OVER a span of almost 60 years, a man called O’Brien was among the few trainers who regularly nurtured the leading two-year-old and 2000 Guineas winter favourite though those dark winter months.

Those of the 1980s generation may remember, one Vincent, on a May afternoon, being asked by Brough Scott, “could he be the best you have ever trained?! A slow movement of the wise head to one side before…”Yes…yes, he could,” as if the idea had just struck him. That was after El Gran Senor’s 1984 2000 Guineas victory, from one of the best fields ever assembled in any classic. It meant he would have to be considered above the trainer’s previous flat superstars Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Alleged.

There had been little hype though when he won the Dewhurst the year before. That was in the days before it took hold. Fast forward to a 21st century O’Brien and the post Dewhurst comments that “we’ve never had a horse like him” or owner Michael Tabor on City Of Troy being “our Frankel” attempted to elevate this two-year-old into the arena of greatness after only three appearances.

Something special

Frankel was given a name that indicated something special. He reportedly beat the Cambridge train in workouts. City Of Troy almost runs through walls, and he never gets tired. But is that hype really justified? (Unintended pun!).

Timeform put this year’s star on a rating of 125, equal with Pinatubo’s Dewhurst, and just a pound behind Frankel’s Dewhurst on 126.

Many of Vincent’s flashy two-year-old stars simply flopped in the spring. Apalachee, Monteverdi, Storm Bird, Try My Best.

For Aidan O’Brien there were a few duds too from the Dewhurst winners – Beethoven, War Command and Air Force Blue doing little at three. Only Rock Of Gibraltar and St Mark’s Basilica really went on to build on their two-year-old achievements.

Justifying the hype: Frankel went off odds-on favourite on 12 of his 13 runs \ Healy Racing

City Of Troy’s Dewhurst performance is rated by Timeform only below Frankel’s since 2000. Beside that though, he is currently only fifth in the Aidan O’Brien overall top juvenile list behind Air Force Blue, his grandsire Johannesburg (is it really that long ago!), who had one outstanding season on 2002, Little Big Bear and St Nicholas Abbey. Their collective three-year-old careers amounted to…. Not a lot!

Little Big Bear earned a Timeform rating of 126p for his seven-length defeat of July Stakes winner Persian Force at the Curragh, and few juveniles this century have recorded higher end-of-season ratings.

While City Of Troy also passed the sectional time ratings gurus with flying colours, it’s difficult to get a horse to horse form handle on the form.

He has yet to meet the other quality juvenile, Rosallion. That horse won the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes at Ascot in the summer, beating the Dewhurst runner-up Alyanaabi four and three quarter lengths into fourth, the other impressive Saturday winner Ancient Wisdom was the same margin behind Rosallion there. Iberian, sixth in the Dewhurst, had beaten a presumably below par Rosallion in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on softer ground. City Of Troy increased his Superlative Stakes margin over Haatem and on less suitable going on Saturday.

Caution comes from Ballydoyle colts generally getting an ‘unbelievable horse’ comment these days. St Mark’s Basilica, Auguste Rodin, Paddington all got that honour yet official ratings put the last two well down the ‘best of Ballydoyle’ performers which is headed by Hawk Wing on 136.

Hawk Wing’s brilliance was really only a one-off performance. The best two-year-old of recent decades, Celtic Swing’s 12-length romp in the 1994 Racing Post Trophy earned him a Timeform rating of 130. His wide-margin soft-ground win was another once in a career.

But the ‘one offs’ are dangerous - he never repeated that effort.

Greatness consealed: Sea The Stars winning his 2000 Guineas when he went off at 8/1 \ Healy Racing

Well away from the hype merchants there were a few men who in the winter of 2008 knew a few things about a good colt.

Read it slowly in the shade of hindsight. Sea The Stars was sent off the 8/1 sixth in the betting for the 2009 2000 Guineas.

Two months later, with the Derby in the bag – one MJ Kinane, privately uttered that this colt could be one of the greats.

His three-year-old career outshone that of Frankel who simply was not asked the same questions.

Hyping up a horse on a few runs is often just asking for a downfall. Where City Of Troy ends up...he’s just at the half way mark.

America

Given his sire is a dirt Triple Crown winner, there were suggestions that City Of Troy should try the Kentucky Derby.

But when it’s now all about the stallion career, going to America where recent winners include the less than jumping of the tongue names in Mine That Bird, Country House and Rich Strike, would seem madness to participate in that lottery.

Interesting though, the 2007 running did produce terrific sires in its one/two/three – Street Sense. Hard Spun and Curlin. But languishing out the back on his last racecourse appearance was none other than Scat Daddy, sire of now stud sensation Justify. It’s not always about the track performance.

THE impending rain up until the day of the race has the potential to properly mess up today’s British Champions Stakes day, for all that the feature races have attracted a quality field and the round track will improve those three races..But underfoot conditions into the autumn have the potential for a few shocks.

For such a top quality meeting, with all the form in the book, it has still provided a more than average set of shock results. Last season three favourites went in in the first three races before Bayside Boy shocked at 33/1 and Bay Bridge surprised better fancied rivals at 10s in the Champions Stakes. 2021 brought success for Eshaada at 16s in the fillies Group 1 and Sealiway was 12s in winning the Champions Stakes.

Paddington and Tahiyra are two of the stars of the season in the mile. In any random season, it might be strange to see the horse who started second favourite, and won the 2000 Guineas, available at around 11/1. We know he is a good horse, he was at two, winning the Champagne and the Dewhurst and goes on soft ground.

Frankie overdid the early pace in the St James’s Palace. Is the one bad run in France a bookies’ overreaction? Will the drawn out Frankie fairytale strike again?