Juddmonte International Stakes
Group 1, York 15:35
£1,250,000 guaranteed,
3yo plus,
1m 2f 56y, Class 1   
Wednesday 21st August 2024

Boylesports

William Derby, York’s chief executive,can't wait to see how last year’s Japanese St Leger winner Durezza fares against City Of Troy in what promises to be a mouthwatering renewal.

With Aidan O’Brien leaning towards keeping the Derby and Eclipse winner at 10 furlongs, the richest race on the Knavesmire is City Of Troy’s likely port of call on August 21.

But a fascinating new opponent has emerged in the shape of Durezza, who will be ridden by Christophe Lemaire.

“We’re obviously delighted to hear the news from Ballydoyle that City Of Troy is likely to run in the Juddmonte International – obviously there’s a long way to go with horses, but to have Europe’s highest-rated three-year-old being aimed at our flagship race is great,” said Derby.

“We have a record prize fund this year of £1.2million and it’s hugely exciting, it’s looking like an absolute cracker.

“City Of Troy has that mercurial potential to join the likes of  Sea The Stars and Frankel, two of the great winners of the race. We all saw what he did in the Betfred Derby, he obviously wasn’t on a going day in the Guineas, but he won the Eclipse like Sea The Stars did ahead of coming to the Knavesmire and it will be fascinating to see how he performs if he comes.

“It has also been confirmed this morning that Durezza, who won the Japanese St Leger last year, is heading our way with Christophe Lemaire due to ride him, so to have the best two jockeys in the world in Christophe and Ryan Moore taking each other on is something very exciting for us and all race fans.”

Derby has been at the helm at York for over 20 years now, and has seen some great renewals of the race.

“My first Juddmonte was 2003, Falbrav won it and then in 2005 Electrocutionist just touched of Zenno Rob Roy, he was the last Grade One winner from Japan we had and Electrocutionist went on to win the Dubai World Cup the following March,” he said.

“It was the world’s highest-rated race with Frankel in 2012 and again with Ghaiyyath in 2020 and a top 10 race last year. It’s our flagship race, the best we stage and the richest so we’re delighted City Of Troy and Durezza have it on their radar.

He added: “Ticket sales are good for the Sky Bet Ebor Festival, we’re really looking forward to it. We’re putting finishing touches to our southern end development which was soft launched at the John Smith’s Cup meeting and the feedback was positive.”

FormRatings

The Gredley Family remains committed to savoring their journey with Ambiente Friendly. The star colt, who narrowly missed victory in the Epsom Derby, is now gearing up for a potential rematch with City Of Troy here.

Although they were separated by just under three lengths in their previous encounter, this time they’ll face off over 10 furlongs on the Knavesmire.

Ambiente Friendly’s team opted out of a clash with City Of Troy in the Coral-Eclipse, instead sending him to the Curragh for the Irish Derby, where he secured a third-place finish behind Los Angeles.

Tim Gredley, mindful of the colt’s recent exertions, looks forward to seeing how these two talented three-year-olds measure up when they meet on the opening day of the Ebor meeting.

The Juddmonte International promises an exciting showdown, even if City Of Troy’s presence adds an extra layer of anticipation for racing enthusiasts. Regardless of the outcome, Ambiente Friendly’s journey continues, and the Gredley family aims to cherish every moment with their promising colt.

SureWIn

Juddmonte International Stakes
(Group 1) (British Champions Series)
£1,250,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 1m 2f 56y, Class 1
37 entries
Going:

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 1/15-4 Alflaila 5 9-8 Owen Burrows
2 11-021 Auguste Rodin 4 9-8 A P O'Brien
3 2115-5 Continuous 4 9-8 A P O'Brien
4 63-222 Docklands 4 9-8 Harry Eustace
5 3/1-20 Durezza 4 9-8 Tomohito Ozeki
6 10-291 Fantastic Moon 4 9-8 Frau S Steinberg
7 -15695 Hans Andersen 4 9-8 A P O'Brien
8 -42523 Horizon Dore 4 9-8 P Cottier
9 -11111 Isle Of Jura 4 9-8 George Scott
10 2-9321 Israr 5 9-8 John & Thady Gosden
11 4/5-33 Maljoom 5 9-8 William Haggas
12 44217- My Prospero 5 9-8 William Haggas
13 1301-1 Passenger 4 9-8 Sir Michael Stoute
14 115-15 Royal Rhyme 4 9-8 K R Burke
15 84-111 White Birch 4 9-8 John Joseph Murphy
16 16-182 Zarakem 4 9-8 J Reynier
17 -11235 Zarir 4 9-8 F-H Graffard
18 422-11 Bluestocking 4 9-5 Ralph Beckett
19 111-46 Inspiral 5 9-5 John & Thady Gosden
20 3236-9 Nashwa 5 9-5 John & Thady Gosden
21 4-116 Almaqam 3 9-1 Ed Walker
22 3-4123 Ambiente Friendly 3 9-1 James Fanshawe
23 1-2111 Calandagan 3 9-1 F-H Graffard
24 11-911 City Of Troy 3 9-1 A P O'Brien
25 15-266 Dancing Gemini 3 9-1 Roger Teal
26 4-11 Economics 3 9-1 William Haggas
27 11-443 Ghostwriter 3 9-1 Clive Cox
28 5-1321 Haatem 3 9-1 Richard Hannon
29 111-82 Henry Longfellow 3 9-1 A P O'Brien
30 11 Jan Brueghel 3 9-1 A P O'Brien
31 17-131 Jayarebe 3 9-1 Brian Meehan
32 812-12 King's Gambit 3 9-1 Harry Charlton
33 11-131 Los Angeles 3 9-1 A P O'Brien
34 21-14 Matsuri 3 9-1 Roger Varian
35 421-44 Unquestionable 3 9-1 A P O'Brien
36 211-32 Opera Singer 3 8-12 A P O'Brien
37 931-56 Ylang Ylang 3 8-12 A P O'Brien

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