Aidan O'Brien: ‘She’s doing all the right things and I’m very happy with her - she’ll start in the Guineas but could be an Oaks filly’

No trainer in the history of the sport has trained more Classic winners than Aidan O’Brien, so it’s always going to take something out of the ordinary to get him excited. And this season there is something sufficiently special within the Ballydoyle team.

The reason for the excitement is the unbeaten Dewhurst winner City Of Troy, already a 4-6 shot for the 2,000 Guineas and no bigger than 15-8 for the Derby. He is likely to be O’Brien’s sole runner in the Guineas, something that hasn’t happened since he had Frankel to contend with in 2011.

Yet City Of Troy’s solo status at Newmarket is no sign of a lack of depth in the Classic ranks. O'Brien's ammunition for the Derby trials is particularly frightening and he has the current favourite for all five British Classics, including the top two in the Derby, Oaks and St Leger.