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Even Aidan O’Brien was left near speechless after the performance produced by City Of Troy in the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
As members of the press swarmed Aidan O'Brien shortly after he watched his City Of Troy produce a stunning performance in the Dewhurst Stakes, the maestro from Ballydoyle was quick to label the son of Justify as the 'best two-year-old he has ever trained.'
Soft ground was certainly a concern for City Of Troy, who was withdrawn from the National Stakes when the ground turned testing at the Curragh, but a late call to run O'Brien's star juvenile proved correct as he blitzed his seven rivals with a sparkling display.
The unbeaten juvenile had to do it the hard way as well, with Ryan Moore taking up the running from an early stage. Challengers were close enough if good enough, but it soon became clear that none were even remotely close to being in the same league as City Of Troy, who powered away off the front for a commanding and dazzling three-and-a-half length success.
Conditions wouldn't have seen Alyanaabi to best effect either, but Owen Burrows' colt confirmed himself as a high-class horse in his own right by running on strongly to grab the runner-up spot.
Eben Shaddad finished a further length back in third for the John and Thady Gosden team.
The Justify colt created quite the impression in a Curragh maiden in July before taking his form to as completely different level when a sparkling six-and-a-half length winner of the Superlative Stakes on the July Course later that month.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien, winning the Dewhurst Stakes for a record-equalling eighth time said: "He would have absolutely hated that ground and the stride on him is incredible, but he just never gets tired. We had nowhere else to run him and thank goodness we ran him.
"I wasn't (tense) as I said to everyone, he could get beat. He was entitled to get beat, but he just never gets tired. I've never seen a horse that doesn't get tired. He goes again going to the line again. It is obviously part of his make-up. That would be his worst type of ground as Ryan said it was deep, sticky ground. You saw him going to the start, he hardly rose his legs and he hardly lifted his feet. We've never had anything like him. I've never had a horse that never gets tired. That is just the way it is. I've never had a horse where we don't know where the limit is. We usually push them to the limit, but we can never find his limit. He has done it the hard way as well, but he would be delighted to get a lead. He goes along with his ears pricked just lobbing along.
"Everything we've asked him to do he finds it very easy and we've never got to the bottom of him which is very unusual. Ryan rode him with extreme confidence. He said after the first race that is definitely not his ground as he is a beautiful mover. You need tractor tyres to go on that today, and he hasn't got tractor tyres, but what he has is a jet engine and that jet engine just pushes his action through it.
"He is an incredible horse really. There is no doubt he is the best two-year-old I've trained. He is by Justify and it is a Justify trait in that they just keep going. His dad did it over in Belmont and he looked like a big sprinter, so it is obviously coming from Justify, and he is out of a great Galileo mare as well. I'm so delighted for the lads really. I'd imagine that is what they will do [go Guineas then Derby]. He is something to really look forward to."
Ryan Moore told ITV Racing: "He's got such a lovely action. These wouldn't be his ideal conditions today.
"Aidan has got belief in this horse and the way he performed on the July Course, I couldn't really see anything else in the race that could do that and he would have too much ability for them.
"He had been off since July, and I think he had forgotten a little bit. He was very, very good in the last furlong and a half today and he is a very, very good colt.
"When I rode him on the July Course and the first day at the Curragh – at the Curragh he did something no horse has ever done to me before [nearly running off the course as he couldn't be pulled up] and on the July Course I thought no horse has ever been this good at that point of their career.
"He was good today off the back of a long layoff on the ground he wouldn't have liked. There is a massive engine there and he is as exciting a two-year-old as I have ever ridden."
Paddy Power were quick to react to the emphatic victory, by making O'Brien's superstar a 5/4 shot from 5/2 for the 2000 Guineas, whilst they also shortened him to 9/4 from 7/2 for the Epsom Derby next June.
The same firm also offer 10-1 about his chances of completing the Triple Crown by winning the St Leger