Aidan O'Brien's City of Troy 'best Dewhurst winner since Frankel'

City of Troy's Dewhurst Stakes success has been judged the best effort in the race since Frankel's victory 13 years ago by Timeform in their October Monthly Racing Index.

Aidan O'Brien's two-year-old's win has seen him receive the highest Timeform performance rating (125) since Frankel (126) landed the prize in 2010.

City of Troy performed at a similar standard in the Dewhurst to subsequent Classic winners Shamardal (124) and New Approach (125), while he earned a higher Timeform rating in the Dewhurst than subsequent 2000 Guineas winners Rock of Gibraltar (123), Dawn Approach (122), Churchill (120) and Chaldean (116).

The son of Justify is odds-on with some betting firms for next year's 2000 Guineas, while he is a general 5/2 for the Derby and is 12/1 to win the Triple Crown.

Simon Baker, Timeform’s two-year-old handicapper, said: “City of Troy’s Dewhurst win was the best performance in the race since Frankel, and while we could wait a lifetime and not see anything in that league again, there can be no doubt that City of Troy is a tremendous prospect in his own right.

“Not all recent high-achieving Dewhurst winners have advanced their form markedly at three, but everything about City of Troy, from his powerful physique to his strong-galloping style, suggests he can go on improving, which makes him just about the most exciting horse around for 2024.”

Following his Dewhurst win, O'Brien said City of Troy was the best two-year-old he had ever trained, while Ryan Moore described him “as exciting a two-year-old as I have ever ridden”.

Meanwhile, Japanese racing continues to go from strength to strength and the country’s current equine superstar Equinox (135) is the highest-rated horse in the world. He has earned a rating that only Baaeed (137), Battaash (136) and Cracksman (136) have exceeded on turf in the post-Frankel era.

The son of Kitasan Black landed back-to-back runnings of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) on 29 October and is now set for this month’s Japan Cup. He is rated 1lb higher than the peak figure that fellow Japanese superstar Deep Impact (134) achieved during his career, while he is Japan’s highest-rated horse since El Condor Pasa achieved a Timeform rating of 136 after finishing runner-up to Montjeu in the 1999 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Chris Williams, a Timeform international handicapper, said: “Equinox gained his fifth successive win when he put up another impressive, top-class display in the Tenno Sho (Autumn) at Tokyo, overcoming a four-month absence and breaking the track record to become just the third horse to gain back-to-back victories in the race.

“He was value for extra as well, never far away from the scorching pace and opening up a five-length lead before the placed horses, who came from a long way back, closed the gap. His main target is the Japan Cup for which he’ll be a short-priced favourite regardless of the opposition.”