The best horse O'Brien has ever trained? Those who scoff may be left eating their words

His face said it all. 

Thirty minutes out from the Dewhurst Stakes, Aidan O'Brien stood in the paddock with an expression that did not instil hope. Wrapped tight in a black coat, he looked anxious and pale. Then City Of Troy ran and everything changed, including his face. The whole trajectory of the 2024 Flat season might well have changed, too.

Talking of faces, Michael Tabor's was an absolute picture. He may never have appeared happier on a racecourse. "Best thing since sliced bread," he was overheard saying to fellow members of the winner's happy entourage. If there was any doubt about the subject of his praise, it was soon put to bed when he began telling anyone who would listen that City Of Troy is Coolmore's Frankel.