Derby hero City Of Troy will line up in next month’s Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown instead of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby a week earlier.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed on Sunday that the colt’s Coolmore ownership has opted to target the 10-furlong task against older horses rather than try to become the 20th horse to complete the Epsom-Curragh Derby double.
“He has plenty pace so the drop back to a mile and a quarter won’t be a problem for him. We’re all looking forward to seeing what he can do at Sandown,” he reported.
It came as no surprise to bookmakers who’s already had City Of Troy as favourite for the Eclipse, although they immediately cut the Ballydoyle star – acclaimed by O’Brien as the best he’s ever had through his hands – to evens for Sandown.
The move allows Los Angeles, third to his stable companion at Epsom, to be aimed at the Curragh, where he will lead O’Brien’s attempts at a 16th Irish Derby success.
Nevertheless, the decision represents a considerable blow to the Curragh, as well as representing a significant change of tack for O’Brien.
Of his nine previous Epsom winners, only the surprise 2020 victor Serpentine didn’t line up in the Irish Derby and that was due to the Curragh race being staged first in a Covid-pandemic disrupted year.
Last season Auguste Rodin completed the Derby double in the €1.25 million Classic at HQ.
O’Brien has landed the Eclipse a record seven times, four of them with three-year-olds, including Paddington a year ago.
With the older star Passenger forced to miss next week’s Royal Ascot action through a setback, and the Dante winner Economic requiring to be supplemented, City Of Troy understandably now dominates betting for Sandown’s biggest race of the year.
“It’s fantastic news that the Derby winner and one of the most talked about horses for several seasons is to be aimed at the Coral Eclipse, and City Of Troy is sure to be sent off a red-hot favourite at Sandown, when he bids to become the first Epsom hero since the mighty Sea The Stars to follow up in this clash of the generations,” a spokesman for the Eclipse sponsors said.
It also looks a suitably timed stepping stone towards long-standing plans for testing the son of US stallion Justify on dirt in August’s Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
Those ambitions to take on the best of America got an indirect and unwanted boost on Saturday night when the Coolmore-owned Sierra Leone could finish only third in the Belmont Stakes.
Sierra Leone started a warm favourite for the final leg of the US Triple Crown, run over 10 furlongs at Saratoga due to reconstruction work at Belmont.
Similarly to when beaten a nose in the Kentucky Derby, he once again looked a less than straightforward ride for new jockey Flavien Prat and never landed a blow on the surprise 17-1 winner Dornoch.
On the back of that, City Of Troy was cut to 6-1 favourite by some firms for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar in November.
Earlier on the Saratoga course, Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa never figured in the $1 million Manhattan Stakes on turf behind a Godolphin one-two through Measured Time and Nations Pride. The 2022 National Stakes winner was unsettled in the parade ring and later in the starting stalls under jockey Johnny Velazquez.
“Nice level tracks suit him as he’s a big-striding horse. We let him get on with it today to try and make our own run, rather than get him in a tangle. If you try and organise a horse like him, he finds it hard, and he’s happy going on,” the winner’s trainer Charlie Appleby said
“We were confident about today’s trip [nine and a half furlongs] and he could stretch out to a mile and a half. We will take the Breeders’ Cup [Turf] into consideration.”
National Hunt racing once again has the domestic scene to itself on Monday with an eight-race card at Roscommon. Navan’s card on Saturday was the last flat action in Ireland and the trend continues into Tuesday with another jumps programme at Sligo.
Monday evening’s feature is the Tote Connacht National where the veteran Goodnightngodbless could relish the expected good ground conditions enough to secure a follow-up to last month’s Down Royal victory.
Le Coq Hardi also won in the North last month and goes again in the opening novice hurdle. The 118-rated runner has to concede a lot of weight to the four-year-old filly St Anthonys Corner who belied big odds on her Ballinrobe debut to win well.
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