'That's the best I've seen him with Ryan riding' - Breeders' Cup-bound City Of Troy delights Aidan O'Brien in sparkling Southwell gallop

Trainer Aidan O'Brien said it had been a privilege to be at Southwell on Friday, when hundreds of people had turned out on a non-raceday at the low-key venue just to get the chance to glimpse as good a horse as has likely ever stretched out at the track.

City Of Troy, a champion two-year-old, Derby winner and the highest-rated turf horse in the world after his tour de force in the Juddmonte International, came to Southwell as part of his preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic, one of the few frontiers O'Brien has yet to conquer.

O'Brien's choice of words for Southwell were polite and sincere, but those chosen for City Of Troy were forensic and detailed as he picked out the portions of the mile workout that left him feeling particularly pleased.

• Watch: City Of Troy gallops at Southwell

Good from the stalls; professional in navigating the sweeping left-hand bend; and satisfying how arrow-straight he was when asked to stretch out in the closing stages.

"To look at it, it was never going to be overly impressive but we were all happy with what he did," O'Brien said. "I felt watching him today was the best I've seen him with Ryan riding. Rachel [Richardson] normally rides him in all his work and I thought that Ryan was beautiful on him.

"He galloped smoothly around the bend and when he said 'go' he really opened up and kept straight, which I loved. I'm sure everyone will have an opinion and it'll be analysed over and over, so it'll be interesting to see what people say, but we were happy with it."

In pictures: City Of Troy's Southwell gallop

City Of Troy is led into the parade ring at SouthwellCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

City Of Troy (left) before working at Southwell ahead of his Breeders' Cup Classic bid in NovemberCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

City Of Troy (Ryan Moore) on his way to powering ten lengths clear of his stablematesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

City Of Troy (Ryan Moore) in full cry at the end of his Breeders' Cup gallopCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

City Of Troy and Ryan Moore are led back in after their gallop at SouthwellCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Aidan O'Brien signs autographs after the gallop at SouthwellCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Aidan O'Brien with members of the crowd after City Of Troy's gallop on FridayCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

It had been back in 2000 that O'Brien brought Giant's Causeway to Southwell to gallop on the-then Fibresand surface as part of his preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic. It was a move that nearly worked a trick, as only the redoubtable Tiznow proved to be too good for the Iron Horse.

Much has changed since that trip, not least the roads. A delayed car journey from the airport meant O'Brien arrived in the paddock at 3.45pm, half an hour after City Of Troy entered it, and proceeded to provide energetic instructions to his five riders.

The trainer's delayed appearance allowed for the anticipation to grow. Of the 1,400 people who had pre-registered to attend, around half were at the course. They had their positions by the pre-parade ring and the paddock picked out a good hour before the horses arrived.

The horses City Of Troy galloped with – Congo River, Democracy, Master Of The Hunt and Edwardian – were rated between 34-40lb inferior, but they served their purpose as they allowed their glitzier stablemate to move clear on a Tapeta surface described as standard to slow by clerk of the course John Holliday. The crowd applauded vigorously as the workout ended.

"He's like Giant's Causeway but quicker – and Giant's Causeway was very classy," O'Brien said. "This horse has a little more zest, he has a long stride and he's dour. His stride doesn't shorten, it lengthens and his pedigree with Justify is all dirt, so he should improve for going on to it. It was always going to be more gruelling than impressive as we wanted the surface prepared more like dirt."

After the gallop, Moore and O'Brien stopped for photographs and signed autographs, including for local trainer Scott Dixon, while York's chief executive William Derby was also among the crowd. One person even managed to persuade O'Brien to part with his City Of Troy branded gilet.

'We're preparing for a race that we've never won before'

Moore seemed particularly at ease after the gallop, and said: "He's an unusual horse and he showed at York how good he was. If he can transfer that level of ability to the dirt then he has to have a good chance.

"I sat on him last week and he's doing well, getting better. Today was just to get him out and to get a good blow into him."

It would be hard to describe the outing as anything other than positive for City Of Troy. Indeed, O'Brien even saw his delay as a good thing, calling it "priceless" that City Of Troy was able to parade with a crowd for an extended period of time to help mirror the raceday experience.

Whose privilege it really was at Southwell – O'Brien's or the spectators – will be answered at Del Mar on November 2, and the trainer added: "We have tried to do what's best for him. We're preparing for a race that we've never won before, but when he came along we felt he was a horse who could make it happen. We've tried to tick all the boxes we thought we needed to tick, that way we can feel like we are giving him the best."

Expert analysis

US racing guru Ron Wood on City Of Troy's Breeders' Cup prep

It's hard to read much into City Of Troy's gallop, not least given the Tapeta surface at Southwell is completely different to the dirt he'll be tackling – for the first time – at Del Mar, although there was one encouraging clue.

The first point of note is that he lacked the early pace of some vastly inferior workmates – he started on terms, but was soon last of five – which is a bit of a concern for the Breeders' Cup Classic. Get behind on dirt and you'll have to run through kickback and/or go wide and hope the leaders come back to you.

However, without sectional timing for this mock race it's hard to know how fast the early leaders were going. City Of Troy didn't look to be travelling great early on, but the pacesetters probably overdid it and by halfway he was going the best of the bunch.

The only real takeaway for me is that when asked for an effort in the straight, he didn't hang right. If anything, he edged a little left. He'd been inclined to go right in his last three races: the Derby, the Eclipse and the International Stakes. And he wouldn't be getting away with that at Del Mar. That's a positive, but nothing about this told us whether he can win the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Breeders' Cup Classic (Del Mar, November 2)

Coral: 5-2 City Of Troy, 4 Fierceness, 8 Forever Young, 10 Highland Falls, Muth, 12 Sierra Leone, Thorpedo Anna, 14 Dornoch, 16 Dragoon Guard, National Treasure, Nysos, 20 bar.

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