City Of Troy proves history repeats itself - his place in the annals hinges on Aidan O'Brien finding the route to redemption
The 2,000 Guineas can be a cruel race, harsh and unforgiving; metaphorically I mean, the abruptness with which judgement is delivered on reputations fondly nurtured through long winter months.
On Saturday, within almost precisely 60 seconds of the stalls opening, a winter-long dream was shattered and Aidan O'Brien was left to pick up the pieces. No ordinary dream. Michael Tabor had seen to that, last October, daring to talk about the precociously brilliant Dewhurst winner City Of Troy in the same breath as the mighty Frankel.
"We study the past to find clues to the future," was a favourite saying of my friend and mentor, Irish racing historian Tony Sweeney.
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Published on inAlan Sweetman
Last updated
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- City Of Troy stands on the brink of something truly extraordinary - not that you'd know it from the wider sporting media
- Did racing really need another Ballydoyle benefit? It's time to pull the plug on the big-value Irish Cesarewitch
- Ireland v Britain: it's almost a score draw as the curtain comes down on Irish Group 1 programme
- Shark Hanlon ruling might have divided social media - but legal heavyweights add real substance to these decisions
- The Racing League has its strengths - but the ludicrous approach to regional teams simply has to go