Aidan O’Brien views an upcoming trip to Southwell for a serious workout with some of his “fastest” stablemates as the ideal stepping-stone for City Of Troy ahead of his ultimate test in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The son of American Triple Crown hero Justify has already established himself as the best of his generation on turf, bouncing back from 2000 Guineas disappointment to win the Derby and the Eclipse before dominating from the front to take the Juddmonte International in a course-record time.
O’Brien has long since identified City Of Troy as a horse who could finally provide him with an elusive first victory in one of the world’s most prestigious races on the Del Mar dirt on November 2 – and with connections opting against running in the Irish Champion Stakes on Saturday week, he will instead warm up for his trans-Atlantic mission with a gallop on Southwell’s Tapeta surface on September 20.
“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,” said O’Brien, speaking at an Irish Champions Festival media event at his yard on Monday.
“We went to the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Giant’s Causeway and got beat, we got beat with everything, so we have to tweak something and City Of Troy might go a shade fresher, that’s what we’re hoping."
While some racecourse gallops can be viewed as nothing more than exhibitions, what O’Brien has planned promises to be anything but.
He added: “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).
“Obviously we won’t have the surface, but that’s not a bad thing because we’re coming off the grass and it’s a little bit of a step in between, rather than the big jump straight away.
“We’ll work the fastest horses we can and we’ll go very hard for the first half (of the gallop). I don’t know what’s going to happen as any horse we’ve sent to Southwell has never worked well, they always just about finish with their lead horse and maybe this will be the same, I don’t know."
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Having been ridden positively throughout his juvenile career, including an all-the-way victory in the Dewhurst, City Of Troy’s Guineas reverse prompted a change of tactics in the Derby.
However, O’Brien switched tack again at York last month and the master of Ballydoyle appears to be ready to raise the stakes even higher in California, where interestingly the last time the Classic was run at Del Mar in 2021 Knicks Go made all.
“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 said.
“We didn’t want to do that until very late because of what happened in the Guineas. It just took a long time to get back and we had to do it very subtle without him knowing. We had to keep him moving forward, so it took us a long time to get back to (front-running) at York.
“Ryan (Moore) went forward at York, but it was still controlled aggression. I know him and the next day he will hit the gates and want to go.”
O’Brien feels City Of Troy’s combative nature will stand him in good stead for his adventure on the American west coast, but is well aware of how difficult a task it will be.
“We think what he did is going to set him up well for America. We’ve never won the Classic, we’ve tried very hard for 25 years and it’s a very difficult race to win,” he said.
“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.
“It's one of those races you don’t dream about because it’s so hard to win, but you try and hope. Every year you tweak things and look for different horses and different ways of doing it. You look under every stone you can look under and hopefully you’ve looked under enough of them.
“He has so many variables and so many things to get over that he hasn’t encountered before. 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."
O'Brien went on: “He took York very well, he didn’t even blow, he never really got into full tank. He hangs because he’s a hardy customer and he’ll maul you if you’re mauling him – he’s not for kids.
“Obviously in America you try to stay out of the kickback and if you end up getting it you get it, but in my experience you don’t ever get used to it and I don’t think any horse enjoys kickback.
“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. I’d say he’ll go forward and you’d imagine the faster they go the better it will suit him, but our fast is a little bit different to American fast, so we will watch with interest like everyone else.
“I think they usually fly out the Saturday before. They arrive on the Saturday evening, they’re in quarantine for two days and then they’re out on the track on Tuesday."
Win, lose or draw, it appears City Of Troy’s Breeders’ Cup outing will be his swansong, with O’Brien expecting him to be retired to stud next season.
He said: “There’s no doubt probably (he could be better as a four-year-old), but he’s unique and he’s a different kind of a horse, so I’d imagine he’ll have to go off to stud.
“He’s just too different and from day one he was like that. He’s a great shape – he’s not too weak, he’s not too small. He’s perfectly proportioned and balanced and not extreme in any way.”
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