O’Brien staying relaxed ahead of huge year for City Of Troy

Gary Carson
March 20, 2024 12:57 pm

‘I don’t feel pressure, all we can do is our best and whatever will be will be’.

Despite training one of the most exciting – and valuable – horses for many a season, Aidan O’Brien insists he is not feeling under any extra pressure, as City Of Troy begins to build for the Qipco 2000 Guineas.

It is not unusual for the winter Guineas favourite to be trained at Ballydoyle, in fact it is an almost annual occurrence. But there does appear to be something special about City Of Troy on the evidence to date.

O’Brien’s comments following his winning debut at the Curragh, when he mentioned Ryan Moore had been worried because he could barely pull him up after crossing the line, caused a stir of excitement and that feeling was backed up with a six-and-a-half-length win in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.

City Of Troy was majestic in the Superlative Stakes (David Davies for The Jockey Club)

The winning distance was ‘only’ three and a half lengths in soft ground in the Dewhurst, but what has really caught the imagination is the fact that his sire, Justify, was a Triple Crown winner on the dirt.

“He always looked a bit different, every time we worked him really. Then he ran in his maiden,” said O’Brien.

“All he can do is keep turning up and running and see what is happening, but he does work very different.

“Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment, it’s deep. Horses shouldn’t like that, but he is just powering through it.

“We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing – him, Henry Longfellow, River Tiber, they’ll all go together over seven, seven and a half furlongs and we’ll have a little look and all get together, talk to the lads, but the plan is to go straight to the Guineas.

“If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there’s a chance he could go to Saratoga for a dirt race, the Travers, and that’s very possible if things go well, it will be interesting.

City Of Troy has created a huge impression in three races to date (David Davies/PA)

“I don’t feel pressure, all we can do is our best and whatever will be will be.”

While O’Brien does admit he is not the biggest horse in the world, the colt is deceptive.

“He’s done very well over the winter. He’s a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he’s much bigger than you think, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.

“When John (Magnier) and the lads are thinking like that, they are happy to push him out there and see what he can do. If it went well in the Guineas, we’re happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then come back to 10 furlongs for the Travers on dirt.

“The thinking is to expose him. Obviously he’s by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass, that’s what makes him unique really. It’s going to be very exciting, interesting really.”

City Of Troy on the Ballydoyle gallops (Tom Maher/PA)

With workouts planned for his Classic hopefuls at the weekend, O’Brien will be hoping the current saturated ground dries up.

He said: “I’d imagine if he goes to the Guineas he’ll go himself, but when we go to Naas on Sunday it will be the first time they’ve been put together, so we’ll see what will happen.

“What makes him unusual is that he’s by Justify, he should be at home on the dirt but they seem the same on the grass. They stay very well, they are uncomplicated, you can ride them forward.

“Justify looks like a big Quarter Horse but the unusual thing about all his stock is they are very similar, you can set them out there and you can go, that’s what makes him so easy, he can do his own thing, they don’t over-race and just keep going.”