 An unlikely success
Sometimes, horses that are very well-bred but have indifferent racing careers are sent
to stud on the strength of pedigree alone. On occasions this pays huge dividends as the
genetic strnghts they posess show themselves in their progeny - they become very good
sires. Examples include Fairy King and Night Shift, two lightly raced and non-black-type
winning sons of Northern Dancer. From Troy's progeny one such horse to do a lot better as
a stallion than as a racehorse comes in the shape of Tropular.
An indifferent racehorse
Tropular, a bay horse born in 1981 and a member of Troy's first crop of foals, ran for
shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos in France from the age of two to four. He was basically
a good but not spectacular racehorse, winning a listed race (just below top class) and
managing fourth place in the Italian Derby.
However, his pedigree, by Troy from a family with a good tradition of producing
winners, meant that he could have a future as a stallion. As we shall see, this career was
one in which Tropular was to have far more, and rather surprising success.
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