Coolmore’s belief in the Triple Crown winner Justify and his father, Scat Daddy, could come full circle in spectacular fashion at this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

This thought flashed through my mind shortly after I saw the winner of the Epsom Derby (G1) City of Troy secured his third consecutive Group 1 victory with a top finish in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York on August 21, controlling throughout before winning by a length.

I don’t have any numbers or scientific study (yet) on this next point, but visually, this front-runner style suggests that the Kentucky-bred City of Troy could be well-suited to dirt racing. Kudos to the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series’ international schedule, which links some races like the roughly 1 5/16-mile Juddmonte International with the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) — and reminds the winning connections of this lucrative option.

After City of Troy secured its ticket for the $7 million Classic on November 2, Del MarTrainer Aidan O’Brien supported such a plan for the home-bred horse from Coolmore. O’Brien has never won the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“The boys can do what they want but we always dreamed of him being a classic horse,” O’Brien told Racing Post. “He stays, he’s tough, we hope the boys take him to the classic; that would be a dream for him.”

While the Win and You’re In place for the Classic might be a bit of extra motivation, Coolmore has never been one to shy away from the switch from turf to dirt, perhaps most famously Giant’s Causeway, who finished a brave second to Tiznow in the 2000 Classic in his 3-year-old season. Churchill DownsGiant’s Causeway’s five Group 1 wins on turf this year included the Juddmonte International.

There is widespread belief overseas that City of Troy can handle the sand, with European bookmakers listing City of Troy as an early favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on August 22 with odds in the range of 3-1 to 4-1.

In his short but spectacular career, Justify never ran on turf, as he was retired following his victory in the 2018 Belmont Stakes (G1) to win the Triple Crown. Coolmore then purchased Justify from owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners and Starlight Racing to house him at his Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky.

This was also the home of Justify’s sire, Scat Daddy, until his death in 2015. Scat Daddy won the 2006 Champagne Stakes (G1) at 2 and the 2007 Florida Derby (G1) at 3. This surface versatility dates back to Scat Daddy’s sire, Johannesburg, who won Champion/Highweight titles in the USA, England, France and Ireland as a youngster.

Of the 136 Black Type winners of Scat Daddy to date, 58 won a race on dirt and 92 won Black Type on grass. 14 runners, including the Class 1 winner Mendelssohn successful on both surfaces.

City of Troy’s dam, Together Forever, by Galileo, won a Group 1 race at age 2 and is a full sister to the 2018 Epsom Oaks (G1) winner, Forever Together.