The Irish Derby has become a cringing embarrassment and City Of Troy decision is the latest body blow
A lengthy press release landed in my inbox last Friday. It carried the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby logo and ran to 1,167 promotional words focusing on the social elements of the Derby meeting at the Curragh.
On Sunday, with a contrasting economy of style, Coolmore Stud used a mere 30 words to announce that City Of Troy would miss the Irish Derby in favour of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.
This widely anticipated decision, thoroughly understandable in commercial terms, is a body blow to the 2024 the race, run at a track where the Coolmore partners are important stakeholders.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inAnother View
Last updated
Copy- The duds even Aidan has forgotten about: it's time for our alternative O'Brien award
- Both hands of the clock point to these Irish bumper horses making a big impact
- Flexibility with fixtures key to adapting to changing weather conditions
- The rise and rise of the Mulrennans - racing's very own Posh and Becks, without the phoney hype
- The Shloer may have Jonbon but it needs to follow the example of the Desert Orchid and become a handicap
- The duds even Aidan has forgotten about: it's time for our alternative O'Brien award
- Both hands of the clock point to these Irish bumper horses making a big impact
- Flexibility with fixtures key to adapting to changing weather conditions
- The rise and rise of the Mulrennans - racing's very own Posh and Becks, without the phoney hype
- The Shloer may have Jonbon but it needs to follow the example of the Desert Orchid and become a handicap