City Of Troy has run last race in Europe this year with Breeders’ Cup next target

Aidan O’Brien’s sublime summer on the British turf continued here on Thursday as Content and Ryan Moore justified 3-1 favouritism in the Group One Yorkshire Oaks and while City Of Troy, his stable star, seems to have run his last race in Europe this year, he has plenty of stable companions that will continue the onslaught. “It looks like City will go straight for the [Breeders’ Cup] Classic,” O’Brien said. “That will open it up for all the other horses.”
In addition to Content, who “could go to one of the Arc trial, an Arc or to America”, O’Brien has a posse of contenders for next month’s St Leger at Doncaster and will, as ever, be strongly represented in the juvenile Group Ones at Newmarket, Ascot and Doncaster in September and October.
Content’s success was his eighth at the highest level in Britain this year, and while he may struggle to reach his record tally of 16 Group One wins – from the 36 available – in 2017, a seventh UK trainers’ championship is all but secured with two months of the season still ahead.
Content was also the late stallion Galileo’s 100th individual winner at the highest level, and she showed plenty of the battling qualities that he tended to pass on to his offspring to emerge in front after a three-way tussle with Emily Upjohn and You Got To Me through the final quarter-mile.
“Ryan gave her an incredible ride and she’s not straightforward or easy,” O’Brien said. “She has a lot of pace and he did an incredible job to get her relaxed … and she is a very brave filly who will be better in a faster-run race.”
City Of Troy’s path towards Del Mar in southern California, meanwhile, is likely to be via the less glamorous surroundings of either Southwell or Wolverhampton, as O’Brien is keen to give Wednesday’s exceptional winner of the International Stakes a racecourse gallop on an artificial surface before he heads across the Atlantic.
“I think he’s going to go to one of your tracks, either Southwell or Ryan mentioned Wolverhampton,” O’Brien said. “We just want to get him on a different surface, so that’s where he could go and then he’ll go straight on [to the US].”
City Of Troy is top-priced at 4-1 to give O’Brien a first success in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on 2 November, with the Japanese challenger Forever Young, who looked an unlucky loser when third in the Kentucky Derby in May, next in the list at around 8-1.
Big Evs edged out Asfoora in their much-anticipated speed duel at Goodwood three weeks ago but the Australian-trained mare is 6lb better off at the weights in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes and has been strongly supported down to 2-1 favourite to reverse the form in Friday’s feature event at York.
Henry Dwyer’s mare is tough and reliable and she has the beating of most of Friday’s opponents on her form in two starts in Britain this year. Amid the understandable focus on Asfoora and Big Evs, however, Bradsell (3.35), a close third in the Nunthorpe 12 months ago from a tricky draw, has crept into the race almost unnoticed at attractive odds.
Archie Watson’s colt took the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer and looked as good as ever after 11 months off when winning a Listed race at Deauville earlier this month. Unlike Big Evs, who is drawn widest of all in 14, he has a handy pitch in stall three this time around and he looks overpriced at around 7-1 to give Hollie Doyle the ninth Group One win of her career.
York 1.50 The 12-furlong race at the Shergar Cup earlier this month was run in a very strong time, with Insanity edging out Dream Harder by a head in the final half-furlong. Ian Williams’s gelding is 1lb better off with the winner here so it is a surprise to find him available at around 20-1.
York 2.25 Aidan O’Brien’s Point Lonsdale has enjoyed an unconventional career since ending his juvenile campaign in 2021 as a leading ante-post fancy for the Derby, and has often been used as a pacemaker for stable companions in Group One events. He is the yard’s only runner here, however, and holds a leading chance on his winning form at Chester in May as he steps up to two miles for the first time.
York 3.00 The last Gimcrack winner from the Aidan O’Brien stable was Rock Of Gibraltar in 2001, but he has a fine chance to add only a third career win in this race to his tally via Camille Pisarro. He showed a fine turn of foot to finish half a length behind Babouche in a Group Three at the Curragh last time and the winner there franked the form in style with a Group One win earlier this month.
York 4.10 An 8lb rise in the ratings for a two-length win might seem a little harsh but the form of Invisible Friend’s defeat of Pol Roger – who was on a hat-trick – over course and distance in June looks strong and she is entitled to come on for her first race since September 2023.