City Of Troy remains on course for the Epsom Derby, with his trainer Aidan O'Brien eager to draw a line through his disappointing 2000 Guineas effort.Part-owner Michael Tabor referred to the son of Justify as "our Frankel" after finishing his two-year-old season unbeaten, with the early part of 2024 filled with Triple Crown dreams and thoughts of matching the achievements of some of the best to ever set foot on a racecourse.He was sent off the 4-6 favourite in front of an expectant Newmarket crowd for leg one of his three-year-old campaign, with those who flocked to the Rowley Mile ultimately left deflated as City Of Troy trailed home ninth of the 11 starters in the opening Classic of the summer.O’Brien suggested his star colt was upset in the stalls in the immediate aftermath and went further to explain what happened on Monday, pondering whether he had the three-year-old at concert pitch for his seasonal return.He said: "Maybe I left him too fresh, because he went into the stalls and reared up and when he hit the ground they let him go straight away."Usually what would happen when they’d rear up like that their heart rate would rise, but they’d usually get a second when they let them go back before they set off.
But he went in, got upset and then 'bang’, out straight away."His heart was probably very high, what happens usually those horses usually get into the red zone a lot quicker than they should.
So probably he was in the red zone before halfway, so I’d say that’s what happened. But because I’d left him too fresh, I was probably too easy on him and left him too fresh."City Of Troy was eased in the Derby market and replaced as favourite by Charlie Appleby’s Arabian Crown following his Guineas reversal, but the master