Aidan O'Brien: City Of Troy won in spite of everything going wrong and he has three options now

City Of Troy (Ryan Moore) wins the Derby at Epsom

City Of Troy: the first Derby winner trained by Aidan O'Brien to follow up in the EclipseCredit: Edward Whitaker

Aidan O'Brien has not ruled out the stirring prospect of City Of Troy tackling the King George, the Juddmonte International and the Irish Champion Stakes this season with the master trainer convinced his star colt won the Coral-Eclipse despite everything going against him on Saturday.

City Of Troy became the first Derby winner from Ballydoyle to win Sandown's summer showpiece, but it was not the performance John Magnier, or any of those closest to the colt, expected as he struggled to shrug off the attentions of Al Riffa.

Now that the dust has settled on the much-debated display, and having had 48 hours to reflect on the performance, the trainer thinks the testing conditions and the tempo of the race meant we were not able to witness the same City Of Troy he has been seeing at home.

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David JenningsDeputy Ireland editor

Published on 8 July 2024inIreland

Last updated 20:45, 8 July 2024

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