City Of Troy won the 2024 Epsom Derby | report and free video replay

Twelve months ago Auguste Rodin proved a disappointing favourite at Newmarket before winning the premier Classic and stablemate City Of Troy repeated this remarkable feat to provide trainer Aidan O'Brien with a record extending tenth success in the Derby.

Not all pundits were convinced by the reasons offered for his poor performance on his seasonal reappearance and questioned whether last year's leading juvenile had trained on, then City Of Troy was handed the negative of stall one at declaration time but O'Brien kept the faith and so, too, did Ryan Moore.

There was drama at the start with stablemate Los Angeles, who had been fractious when saddled, reluctant to load. When the gates did open, Voyage - a dream first runner in the race for owner Julie Wood - immediately unseated Pat Dobbs and proceeded to cross to race at the head of the field.

Voyage led another Ballydoyle runner Euphoric around Tattenham Corner and wandered around a little, inconveniencing the well backed runner-up Ambiente Friendly but it made no difference to the result. The eye was constantly drawn to Ambiente Friendly who moved into contention on the bridle whereas City Of Troy appeared to be making harder work of it on the inside where he got a beautiful seam between runners.

When Rab Havlin asked Ambiente Friendly to win his race, City Of Troy was just going through the gears and powered into the lead to leave his rival trailing before extending strongly, proving hard for Moore to pull up after the line, just as he had on his brilliant two-year-old debut when marking himself down as a special performer.

Ambiente Friendly beat the rest well enough, finishing three and a quarter lengths clear of the one-paced Los Angeles, but he had two and three quarter lengths to find with City Of Troy at the line.

Deira Mile was over a length away in fourth, running a big race from the rear of the field, finishing just ahead of owner-mate Sayedaty Sadaty.

A relaxed and beaming O'Brien told ITV Racing: "It's so great for everybody, so many people all the way along, they all make it happen. The exciting thing for us is Justify (City Of Troy's sire). He looked very special all the way and the class that they have, they have speed as well as stamina. Ryan gave him an incredible ride. So grateful to everyone and all the team.

"We knew that the Guineas went totally wrong. I made mistakes training him and that's the bottom line a and we discussed it before it, there were stones I didn't look under that I should have. He was too fresh, he was underprepared and he blew up in the stalls. It's just the reality of it. We all know the facts and we speak about them all the time and we learn from it. We knew the ability he had, I left him too fresh into the Guineas and he just wasn't prepared properly but since then everything has been beautiful.

"And the beautiful thing about it, Ryan said he was very green and very babyish through the race, he said he went there and couldn't believe how green he was. The incredible thing is the cruise that he has and the ability that he has, it's so exciting for everybody.

"I would say no doubt (that City Of Troy is the best of O'Brien's Derby winners) because he has the cruise and he has the balance and he quickens and he stays; I don't think there's any doubt about that. The time we won our maiden with him he took off after the line at the Curragh, Ryan said he wouldn't do it the next time and he did and he did the same thing in the Dewhurst in ground that he didn't like, listen, he's just an incredible horse.

"For us Justify is the most incredible horse. The great stallion we had was Galileo but Justifys are like Galileos but with more class which is a very hard thing to say but we see it every day; their strides, their minds, their movements and they're quicker than Galileos which is really exciting."

Speaking from the saddle on the way to the winner's enclosure, Moore said: "It was hard to know what would happen today but I was very sure we still had the best horse. Newmarket didn't happen, I can't pretend we knew it would happen but we do know he has a big engine, he showed himself to be a brilliant two-year-old. The Guineas we got a few things wrong and it's great he could comeback today.

"He's still a little bit immature, it was his first time going round a bend and hopefully there's plenty more to work on."

Coolmore partner Michael Tabor is one of those who never lost faith in City Of Troy.

He said: “It means everything, going forward with all the options we have with this horse, it’s just something to enjoy, that’s the main thing. Aidan said this is the best we’ve ever had and everything has come true.”

Speaking after the trophy presentations Moore described the race saying: “I had a nice position, but then the horses in front of me weren’t the right ones to take me as far as I wanted to go so I had to find a little bit of room.

“The race opened up with the loose horse and I travelled well into the straight. He picked up and went to the front very easy and I felt he was still a little bit of inexperienced. With the loose horse in front of him I felt he didn’t know what to do, but he changed his leads near the line and went on again.”

He went on: “I’m just delighted as he showed so much as a two-year-old, but we got a few things wrong on the day in the Guineas. Aidan’s got him back, we didn’t lose faith in the horse and stuck to the plan and it’s paid off. We believed if he turned up like we thought he would he’d be too good for them and he was.

“I was always happy where I was, it’s never always going to be smooth with a field that size, but he took me there easily. He was in control a fair way out.”

As for future plans, O’Brien – who first won the Derby with Galileo in 2001 – reported that all options will be considered before mapping out the next stage of the horse’s development.

He added: “We had a plan, his first three races were the Guineas, the Derby and then Saratoga on dirt over 10 furlongs (for the Travers Stakes).

“The lads will talk about that and talk to Ryan and decide what they want to do. The only thing I’m not sure about is Ryan said he was very babyish today and whether he would be able to deal with a race like that straight away I’m not sure, but the lads will all talk and make that decision.

“Looking at him today, there doesn’t seem to be any end to his stamina and that’s a trait in all the Justifys, they just keep going. It will be a hard decision for the lads. If he doesn’t go (to America), there are races like the Eclipse and the King George to think of and later on the Arc, as we know he stays very well.”

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