Aidan O'Brien sends City Of Troy to Epsom Derby certain of his ability 

City Of Troy and Aidan O'Brien pictured after morning work ahead of The Epsom Derby. Picture: Healy Racing

He may have trained a record nine Derby winners but Aidan O’Brien believes City Of Troy could be the most talented horse he has ever sent to the Epsom Classic.

Imperious as a two-year-old, the Justify colt was sent off the 4-6 favourite to win the 2000 Guineas earlier this month.

But it all went wrong at the start at Newmarket and City Of Troy trailed in ninth of 11 in the first Classic of the season.

However, such an inauspicious start to his three-year-old campaign last year didn’t stop Auguste Rodin from bouncing back at Epsom a month later and O’Brien has unshakeable confidence he can repeat the trick with City Of Troy on June 1.

“I'm not sure we've ever sent a horse to the Derby with as much ability as this,” O’Brien declared. 

“If we can get him to come out of those gates, and everything to work properly, we can have him in the right place.” 

Coming out of the stalls was the main problem at Newmarket, O’Brien believes.

“He went in last but the way it worked out he might have been better off going in a little bit earlier because when he went in he spooked and reared and the minute he hit the ground the stalls opened.

“Usually what happens when they do something like that their heart rate would go up to 120, 150 beats per minute but what happened with him is he landed and the minute he landed he took off. He probably started off at 150 beats per minute where he should be starting off way lower. 

"He got to halfway and they go into the red zone when they go over 200 and he probably got there before halfway. Really it was impossible for him to keep going. It was just one of those things.” 

Changes that could be dismissed as trivial have been made to City Of Troy’s routine since Newmarket and O’Brien believes even the smallest of tweaks can make a big difference.

“He started his (Derby) programme and we knew the first day he worked that there were things we had to work on, which was good. If we were going back to the Guineas, doing the same things all over again, I’d be worried. When we started back working there was little tweaks we had to make and we’re slowly making them.” 

One of those minor alterations took place in front of members of the racing media for O’Brien’s pre-Derby open day as City Of Troy was worked in the middle of second lot as opposed to towards the head of it, an experiment that work rider Dean Gallagher reported to be a success.

“Dean was very happy this morning,” O’Brien said. “Dean said to me that he feels much better back in the group. Before the Guineas, he was always sitting second so small little things (can make a difference), and that’s another positive for me.” 

While how he prepares his Epsom contenders changes, one constant remains: The Derby remains the race that matters most to Ballydoyle.

“Everyone can say whatever they want but the whole thoroughbred generation every year is measured in the Derby. That’s just the reality of it. It’s very hard to get a horse good enough to win it and some horses don’t go on from it because it’s the ultimate test. Some horses find it very difficult but there has to be a barometer and that is the barometer.”