Aidan O'Brien has unshakeable faith his Classic flop City Of Troy can redeem himself in the Betfred Derby yesterday describing him as the most talented horse he has prepared for the race.
“I’m not sure we’ve ever sent a horse to The Derby with as much ability as this,” said the Ballydoyle maestro as he gave another glowing report on the colt connections had hoped could become ‘our Frankel’.
City Of Troy went off odds-on favourite for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket where his previously unblemished record was shattered as he trailed home in ninth place, 17 lengths behind winner Notable Speech. O’Brien has quickly moved on from the disappointment, blaming himself for sending an undercooked City Of Troy to the races where he then got “revved up” in the stalls.
Nevertheless he is 7-2 joint favourite, with Arabian Crown, with Betfred to emulate Auguste Rodin, who bounced back from 2,000 Guineas defeat to clinch his trainer’s ninth Derby win last year. O’Brien said he had identified “little tweaks” that can be made to City Of Troy who has five or six gallops to complete before Epsom.
“Everything has been good since and we just accepted that all these things just happened and went wrong on the day and we’ve decided to stay with the plan,” he said as he opened his doors to the media.
“The plan was always to start with the Guineas and go on to The Derby and then go wherever after that and that’s where we still are.”
He added: “There is a weight of expectancy with him. At the Guineas, everyone was there to see City Of Troy and I apologised afterwards because I felt I didn’t have him prepared properly and expected too much of him.
“It’s our job to have him prepared to go to the races for Ryan to sit on and the horse has to be in the right frame of mind and fit enough. I felt we let Ryan down – he wouldn’t ever say that because he never blames anyone except himself - but that is what I would have felt.
“The Guineas was a let-down because we were all expecting. It just went against us and we have to accept that, move on and try to get back where we hoped we would be.”
The trainer said trial winners Los Angeles and Capulet were also in the mix for the Derby while Ylang Ylang and Rubies Are Red look bound for the Betfred Oaks.
Auguste Rodin would run in the Tattersalls Gold Cup or Coronation Cup at Epsom.
“Himself and Luxembourg are on the same programme – one will go to Epsom and one will go to the Curragh,” he said. “We have adjusted things and made some changes and think he will leave behind the run in Dubai. We are very happy with him.”