2023 Dewhurst Stakes Tips - City Of Troy worth taking on at Newmarket?

City Of Troy is clearly going to take some stopping in Saturday's Group One highlight. Aidan O'Brien's star put up the best juvenile performance of the season when winning the Superlative Stakes and there's every chance he could take another step forward this weekend.

A horse who I really like at a more appealing price is INDIAN RUN (20/1). I backed Eve Johnson Houghton's colt to win the Acomb Stakes at York in August, having been impressed by the manner of his maiden victory at Acot the previous month.

Danny Tudhope's mount was a little weak in the betting leading up to the Acomb, but that didn't matter in the end, as Indian Run ran out a convincing winner. Favourite, Ballymount Boy was beaten a length-and-a-half back in second - a wider margin than what Vandeek managed when beating Ballymount Boy at Goodwood, and look what he's gone on to achieve since.

The going looks likely to be very soft indeed by the time the Dewhurst rolls around. That could be a problem for Indian Run, who's yet to run on ground slower than good. Sioux Nation has had a couple of heavy ground winners from his first crop of colts, though, and his grand-daddy is Danehill Dancer, so I'd be hopeful that Tudhope's mount can cope with cut in the ground.

Eve Johnson Houghton's star is certainly in the discussion for the "best of the rest" title behind City Of Troy, and could even claim an unexpected victory if the market leader underperformed. I'll be backing Indian Run each-way at 20/1, but I wouldn't stop anyone from taking the 13/2 that's currently on offer in the "betting without the favourite" special market.