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| Staff Writer |
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Aidan O'Brien is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for an elusive Breeders' Cup Classic victory, with City Of Troy set to take centre stage in his meticulous preparation plan.
The Ballydoyle maestro is plotting a course to Del Mar on November 2, where he hopes the son of American Triple Crown hero Justify can finally break his Classic duck. But first, the colt faces a crucial pit stop at Southwell on September 20.
O'Brien, speaking at an Irish Champions Festival media event, revealed: "We decided against going to Leopardstown because we didn't want to use up that run, that's why we thought we'd go to Southwell instead."
The workout promises to be far more than a mere formality. O'Brien elaborated: "He can go a mile, probably with four or five other horses and we'll go a good, strong pace and see what will happen. He'll work out of American (starting) stalls, so we'll have it as close as we can (to a race)."
City Of Troy has already established himself as the premier 3YO on turf, bouncing back from 2000 Guineas disappointment to claim the Derby and Eclipse before a dominant, course-record-breaking performance in the Gr.1 Juddmonte International at York.
Now, O'Brien is ready to unleash the colt's aggressive running style on American soil. "We were waiting to let him go forward, but we only wanted to let him do it before the Classic as while he was aggressive the last day, he'll be more aggressive the next day," he explained.
The Breeders' Cup Classic has proven a tough nut to crack for European raiders. Notable previous winners include Tiznow, who claimed back-to-back victories in 2000 and 2001, and more recently, Authentic in 2020. These horses went on to achieve further success at the highest level, cementing their places in racing history.
O'Brien is under no illusions about the task at hand: "We've never won the Classic, we've tried very hard for 25 years and it's a very difficult race to win. You're going to a different world – a different culture, a different track and a different surface. I think for one of our horses to win it, they need to be a lot better than the opposition."
The trainer's previous tilt at Classic glory came with the mighty Giant's Causeway, who finished an agonising second in 2000. Now, with City Of Troy, O'Brien believes he may have found the key to unlock America's greatest prize.
"He has so many variables and so many things to get over that he hasn't encountered before," O'Brien admitted. "He's not simple, if you get into a row with him because he's a lot of Justify in him and he's lot of Galileo in him and when you get those I wince. If you're restricting him, he'll make you suffer."
The Ballydoyle team will be hoping City Of Troy's natural aggression translates well to the dirt surface. O'Brien noted: "He always favoured racing aggressively and that's why from day one he just went out the gates and went. It's in his nature to do it, but what's rare about him is he carries it through."
As the countdown to Del Mar begins, racing fans around the world will be watching with bated breath to see if City Of Troy can write his name into the annals of Breeders' Cup history.