Juddmonte International headlines first day at York

With expectations sky high once more, it is time for City Of Troy to do the talking again in Wednesday's star-studded Juddmonte International at York.

Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners are very much on record with their views on the son of Triple Crown hero Justify, with O’Brien labelling him the best he has ever trained.

He overcame a poor run in the 2000 Guineas to take the Derby in style and get his career firmly back on track, although in winning the Eclipse he was more workmanlike.

O’Brien blamed the soft ground at Sandown for what was visually a less than explosive display, but there should be no worries on that score this week and for a horse with a long stride, York’s four-furlong home straight should be ideal.

But with the best three-year-olds and older horses in opposition from all over Europe, as well as a top-class filly in Bluestocking and a winner of the Japanese St Leger winner, there will be no hiding place in what is the biggest field assembled since the inception of the race in 1972.

"We’ve been happy with him since the last day and obviously this was the race we had planned out for him and everything has gone well," said O’Brien.

"The weather looks like it means the ground should be better than Sandown, and York has nice, long home straight that we hope will suit him given his stride.

"We always say we want to see the best horses in the best races.

"He’s just been unique all the way along. What he has been doing has just been on raw ability.

"We thought he was still green in the Derby and then we went to Sandown and we were happy there was plenty of time between Sandown and York to tweak a few things."

Second to City Of Troy in the Derby was James Fanshawe’s Ambiente Friendly.

He then went on to the Irish