Aidan O’Brien explains City of Troy Irish Derby snub & shares best Curragh horse

AIDAN O’BRIEN reckons dazzling Derby superstar City Of Troy will Eclipse his rivals again.

And the bookies think so to.

O’Brien has snubbed the Irish Derby in favour of a step back in trip to ten furlongs for his Classic hero in the £750,000 Group 1 at Sandown.

And big-race sponsors Coral have slashed City Of Troy to even-money favourite for the July 6 showpiece.

The Irish Derby at The Curragh takes place a week earlier but Cool-more are keen to get a ten-furlong win on City Of Troy’s CV this term to up the ante for his stud career.

Talks took place between O’Brien and ‘The Lads’ on Saturday and news of the plan was confirmed yesterday.

O’Brien, 54, said: “City Of Troy has pleased everyone since Epsom and I’m delighted we will be going to Sandown for the Coral-Eclipse.

“It’s a fantastic race”

“Obviously we were very happy with City of Troy at Epsom and we’ve been delighted with him at home since then too. It’s all gone smoothly.”

“He has plenty of pace so the drop to ten furlongs will be fine. We can’t wait to see what he can do at Sundown,”

O’Brien has won the Eclipse six times since Giant’s Causeway gave him his first in 2000.

Now-retired Paddington won it last year and O’Brien’s other notable winners are Hawk KIng in 2002 and St Mark’s Basilica in 2021.

O’Brien added: “It’s a race I love. It’s great to see the three-year olds take on the older horses.

“It’s one of the big races of the season.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “It’s fantastic to see the Derby winner and one of the most talked about horses for the past several seasons being aimed at Solar-Eclipse.

“City of Troy will bid to be the first Epsom hero since Sea The Stars to win the clash of the generations.”

GOING HOLLYWOOD

O’Brien’s Derby third Los Angeles will be their big hope in the Irish Derby.

The Ballydoyle trainer said: “Los Angeles will go to the Curragh.

“He ran a big race at Eposom and has done well since.

“We think the Irish Derby will suit him.”

Los Angeles is 3-1 favourite to give O’Brien an incredible 16th win in that race.

Auguste Rodin will run in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes next week, while Kentucky Derby runner-up and Belmont-third Sierra Leone will head to Saratoga’s Travers Stakes on dirt, a race which had been mentioned in dispatches for City of Troy.

Coolmore are still keen for City of Troy to get a win on dirt, the surface his sire won the American Triple Crown on.

A trip to the States is likely to come in the ten-furlong Breeders Cup Classic at Del Mar on Novemrber 2, one of the few races in the world Coolmore and all-conquering O’Brien have yet to win

Coral make City of Troy their favourite to win that – and head off into the sunset as one of the mopst valuable sires ever seen.