Officials uneasy there are fewer horses in prestigious classification behind two-year-old champion City Of Troy

City Of Troy has officially been crowned 2023′s two-year-old champion of Europe, although Tuesday’s coronation came with a sobering caveat about a lack of strength in depth behind Aidan O’Brien’s potential superstar.

City Of Troy, unbeaten in three starts last year, and acclaimed as “our Frankel” by his Coolmore ownership, was handed an official rating of 125 by European handicappers. It put him a massive 5lb clear of his nearest rival, the Adrian Murray-trained Phoenix Stakes winner Bucanero Fuerte.

City Of Troy is O’Brien’s 13th champion two-year-old but few if any of the others have gone into their Classic campaigns with more expectation hanging around their necks.

“I suppose from the first time he ran he looked something different, and we always felt that he was a horse who should go forward from two to three, so he’s very exciting from that point of view,” O’Brien said after Tuesday’s announcement. “I suppose what makes him different is the tempo he goes in a race, and then he just kicks into another gear at halfway, really. We didn’t have a horse as exciting ever as City Of Troy as a two-year-old, probably.”

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But if it’s business as usual for Coolmore/Ballydoyle, official unease was expressed about the juvenile figures overall. The number of horses entitled to inclusion in the prestigious classifications is the lowest since they began in 1978, with just 36 horses reaching the minimum required rating of 110.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) handicapper Mark Bird admitted the overall landscape was cause for concern, pointing particularly to a marked decline in the numbers of French- and British-trained horses qualified for inclusion.

“Looking at the trends going back over the years, the average even starting this century back in 2000, was about 48 and we’re down this year, so that’s a 25 per cent drop. That begs the question are the horses still around, are they not being campaigned, and what is the reason behind that. The decline has been marked and notable, particularly in the last decade when the numbers have slipped,” said Bird.

The IHRB official pointed out how the numbers of Irish-trained juveniles have remained stable thanks to Coolmore’s influence. However, his comments underline concerns about prize money levels generally in comparison to other global jurisdictions.

“I think what is essentially keeping Ireland afloat is Coolmore and their strong representation,” said Bird. “It does bring up the issue of whether the two-year-olds are there, are they not being campaigned, or are they being sold to the Middle East or Hong Kong.

“Domestically, a maiden winner in Ireland, almost immediately you get a call asking what it’s going to be rated because somebody wants to sell it or buy it. Over the course of the last 20 years I think that does have an impact in terms of the number of horses we have in this classification and it’s just the reality of life really.”

If juvenile rankings have rarely been a priority in France, both Bird and his British Horseracing Authority counterpart pointed to an underwhelming campaign for Charlie Appleby’s Godolphin team in 2023 as a contributory reason for the figures.

With Opera Singer rated Europe’s top filly, and Henry Longfellow a prime Classic candidate too, O’Brien also has the prospect of Auguste Rodin’s four-year-old career to look forward to.

The dual-Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup champion has been kept in training with a campaign on dirt in the offing at some point. However, his trainer revealed his comeback is likely to come in March in Meydan’s Sheema Classic.

“I suppose with Auguste Rodin this year we are going to start off probably in Dubai [March 30th], then he might come back to the Curragh for the Tattersalls [Gold Cup], then he could go to Ascot for the Prince of Wales. After that it is possible we could have a look at dirt and see what happens because when we cantered him on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup he was loving it,” said O’Brien.

Auguste Rodin is also rated 125 in the Longines World Racehorse rankings released on Tuesday. The Japanese superstar Equinox was top-rated on 135, well clear of both the Arc winner Ace Impact and Mostahdar on 128. Equinox was retired to stud last month.

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