A scintillating performance by Troy.
Some contemporaneous commentary from 'Horse and Hound' magazine,
15th June 1979
 Neither Diomed nor any of
his 198 successors would have been ashamed of the latest in the line last week. As Sir
Michael Sobell's Troy strode home to win the 200th Derby by seven lengths, any doubts
whether this year's field would be worthy of the anniversary were, at least as far as Troy
is concerned, gloriously put to rest.
In almost every way, in fact, this was a result to warm the heart of any British racing
enthusiast. Fine though it would have been to see Lester Piggott and Milford win for the
Queen, Willie Carson's many friends and admirers would have found hard to bear the tragic
error on his part which that victory would have represented.
As things were, admittedly after some fairly nervewracking moments, Troy confirmed both
Willie's judgement and his jockeyship.
He also destroyed the jinx, which since Hethersett's fall in 1962 has dogged Dick
Hern's horses on Derby day - and he paid a richly deserved dividend on the huge investment
Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Sir Arnold Weinstock have made in British racing -
first by buying the cream of Dorothy Paget's bloodstock and then by taking over the West
Ilsley yard where Troy is trained.
The only sad part of the story, in fact, was that Sir Gordon Richards, who inspired
that original bloodstock purchase and has either trained or managed Sir Michael's horses
ever since, was prevented by a bad back from coming to Epsom.
He has always had great faith in Troy, whose dam he trained to win several races and
whose granddam Pin Prick, was one of the broodmares whose purchase from Miss Paget's
Executors he arranged.
It is only fitting that Pinza, Sir Gordon's own Derby winner, should be one of Troy's
great-grandfathers - and even more satisfactory to find that every one of the seven
stallions in the first three removes of his pedigree was bred and trained in this country.
Family tree like this are rare indeed in the background of top class horses these days
- and practically unique in the recent history of the Derby.
But ever since Troy arrived at West Ilsley, Epsom last week had been his target and
although at the end of their two-year-old careers, his stable companion More Light seemed
at least as likely a candidate, Troy made by far the greater physical progress through the
winter.
He is now a magnificent looking colt, on the big side, but full of quality as well as
strength.
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