Six months of anticipation and expectation evaporated in the space of 100 seconds here on Saturday, as City Of Troy, the hot favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, could beat only two of his rivals to the line as Charlie Appleby’s Notable Speech, at 16-1, won the first Classic of the 2024 season.
City Of Troy was quickly away from the stalls and settled in a narrow lead at halfway, but he was clearly a spent force soon afterwards as William Buick sent Notable Speech past Rosallion and into a decisive lead.
The winner did not race as a juvenile, but had won all three of his runs on artificial surfaces prior to Saturday’s Classic.
after newsletter promotion
Notable Speech is not entered in the Derby at Epsom next month and looks too speedy for the mile-and-a-half Classic. City Of Troy, meanwhile, is out to 6-1 from 5-4 for Epsom.