"We've tried to tick all the boxes" - O'Brien pleased with City Of Troy's gallop at Southwell
City Of Troy attracted a crowd of 1,500 spectators at Southwell for a racecourse gallop on Friday. Guided by Ryan Moore, the horse put on an impressive display, earning applause from the crowd and praise from trainer Aidan O'Brien. This gallop was part of City Of Troy's preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic. O'Brien and the team were pleased with the horse’s performance on the synthetic surface. Post-gallop, the horse was made the 2/1 favorite for the prestigious race at Del Mar on November 2nd.
- Aidan O'Brien was impressed with City Of Troy's gallop at Southwell
- 1,500 fans watched City Of Troy gallop under Ryan Moore
- Unibet cut O'Brien's colt into 2/1 for the Breeders' Cup Classic
A crowd of 1,500 spectators gathered at Southwell on Friday, simply to watch City Of Troy enjoy a racecourse gallop.
Ryan Moore held the Epsom Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International up at the rear, as four of his stablemates took turns to set the pace. Once unleashed, City Of Troy stretched clear in impressive fashion, with Moore easing his mount down just before the line.
The crowds applauded as City Of Troy opened up down the straight. This was by far the classiest horse to ever run at Southwell racecourse. Speaking to the press after the race, Aidan O'Brien was impressed with what he saw.
"To look at it, it was never going to be overly impressive but we were all happy with what he did," O'Brien said. "I felt watching him today was the best I've seen him with Ryan riding. Rachel (Richardson) normally rides him in all his work and I thought that Ryan was beautiful on him.
"He galloped smoothly around the bend and when he said 'go' he really opened up and kept straight, which I loved. I'm sure everyone will have an opinion and it'll be analysed over and over, so it'll be interesting to see what people say, but we were happy with it."
"He's like Giant's Causeway but quicker – and Giant's Causeway was very classy. This horse has a little more zest, he has a long stride and he's dour. His stride doesn't shorten, it lengthens and his pedigree with Justify is all dirt, so he should improve for going on to it. It was always going to be more gruelling than impressive as we wanted the surface prepared more like dirt."
Aidan O'Brien had identified the dirt track at Southwell as the perfect setting to prepare his star colt for a tilt at the Breeders' Cup Classic. City Of Troy has done all of his winning on turf, so Friday's gallop was to see whether he could cope with a synthetic surface - and cope with it he did.
"We have tried to do what's best for him." O'Brien continued. "We're preparing for a race that we've never won before, but when he came along we felt he was a horse who could make it happen. We've tried to tick all the boxes we thought we needed to tick, that way we can feel like we are giving him the best."
After the gallop, O'Brien signed programs for fans, posed for pictures and even handed out City Of Troy merchandise to the lucky few. Some firms in the UK - including Unibet - were impressed enough to cut O'Brien's star into 2/1 favouritism for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
This lucrative Group One will take place at Del Mar racecourse on November 2nd. The full betting for the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic can be found here on our website.
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