[3] City of Troy is a bay colt with a white star bred in Kentucky by Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt, breeding companies associated with the Coolmore Stud organisation.
[7] Two weeks later the colt was stepped up in class and sent to England to contest the Group 2 Superlative Stakes over the same distance at Newmarket Racecourse and went off the 4/6 favourite against eight opponents.
[12] In the official classification of European juveniles for 2023, City of Troy was given a rating of 125, making him the best two-year-old of the season, five pounds clear of the Phoenix Stakes winner Bucanero Fuerte.
He tracked the leaders in the early stages but faded badly in the last quarter mile and came home ninth of the eleven runners behind Notable Speech, beaten more than sixteen lengths by the winner.
"[14] In the 245th running of the Epsom Derby on 1 June, City of Troy, with Moore in the saddle, was made the 3/1 favourite in a field of sixteen three-year-old colts.
After briefly struggling to obtain a clear run, the colt was switched to the inside approaching the final turn and began to make rapid progress.
"[16] On 6 July City of Troy was brought back in distance and matched against older horses for the first time to contest the Eclipse Stakes over ten furlongs on soft ground at Sandown Park.
The opposition was not particularly strong and he started the 1/4 favourite with the best of his five rivals appearing to be Dancing Gemini and the four-year-old Al Riffa, who had not won since taking the National Stakes in 2022.
After tracking his stablemate Hans Andersen for most of the way he took the lead in the straight but came under strong pressure in the closing stages before prevailing by a length from Al Riffa.
[18] In the International Stakes over ten and a half furlongs at York Racecourse on 21 August City of Troy started the 5/4 favourite in a thirteen-runner field.
Moore sent the colt into the lead from the start and City of Troy maintained his advantage throughout the race, repelling a strong late challenge from Calandagan to win by a length in a record time of 2:04.32.
[2] After the race O'Brien suggested that the colt could be aimed at the Breeders' Cup Classic on dirt and commented "It wasn’t the plan today [to make the running] but he hit the gates and Ryan just decided he was going along...People will measure his stride but the length of it in the last two furlongs is incredible really.