For the second consecutive year, Aidan O’Brien won the Derby at Epsom with a horse that had previously been well beaten in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. City Of Troy gave the Irish trainer a record-extended 10th success in the most valuable Flat race in the UK.
And exhale! City Of Troy makes it 🔟 Derby wins for Aidan O’Brien… pic.twitter.com/7DW7AkHAZX
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 1, 2024
After such an impressive performance, the options are now wide open for the son of Justify. Here is a look at some of the races he may feature in this season.
Irish Derby
The most obvious next assignment for City Of Troy is likely to be the Irish Derby at the Curragh. That would allow him to become a dual Classic winner. He is odds-on at 4/7 in the bet on horse racing market for the prestigious Irish contest.
City Of Troy does have an entry in the St James’s Palace Stakes later this month where he has Ascot 2024 odds of 33/1. With the royal meeting and Irish Derby taking place within two weeks of each other, he is unlikely to line up in both races.
Deep Impact colt Auguste Rodin completes the English-Irish Derby double!
It’s also a first win in the @DDFRacing Irish Derby for Ryan Moore, and Aidan O’Brien’s 100th European Classic victory 👏#オーギュストロダン | #ディープインパクト | #競馬 | @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/GQ8wBZXMsp
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) July 2, 2023
There have been 19 horses that have completed the English and Irish Derby double. Auguste Rodin became the latest to do so for O’Brien in 2023. As his record suggests (15 triumphs), the Irish Champion Trainer is a big supporter of this race, so it would be no surprise to see his latest superstar feature.
Breeders’ Cup Classic
In his post-race interview following the Derby, O’Brien revealed that City Of Troy’s owners were keen on a shot at the Breeders’ Cup Classic this season with their talented three-year-old. It is a race they have been desperate to win throughout their time in the sport.
If the Epsom hero is to tackle one of the richest races in the world at Del Mar in November, he will need to get some experience on dirt before then. The Travers Stakes at Saratoga in August is an option for him. That was the race won by Arrogate in 2016 before he landed the Breeders’ Cup feature later that year.
No Irish-trained horse in history has won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. O’Brien has had success at the meeting, most notably in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but this would be one of the highlights of his career, should City Of Troy beat North America’s leading dirt horses.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The last Derby winner to score in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe later that season was Golden Horn in 2015. Since then, two three-year-olds have been successful in the open-age contest, with Enable and Ace Impact prevailing in 2017 and 2023 respectively.
The Arc is a race that O’Brien has high on his priority list each season. His most recent triumph came in 2016 when his talented filly, Found, prevailed. In City Of Troy, he now has a horse that would have an excellent chance of giving him a third victory in the most prestigious open-age turf contest in the world.
O’Brien has yet to commit to a plan for City Of Troy, but as ever, he will find the best route for the horse to allow him to fulfil his potential on the track.
