Joseph O'Brien with his father Aidan© Photo Healy Racing
Joseph O’Brien feels City Of Troy is the “right type” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic as he gears up to witness what “could be one of the races of the year” at Del Mar on Saturday.
Aidan O’Brien’s son has seen plenty of Breeders’ Cups down the years, not only as a supportive son to his father, but also as his jockey and in more recent years, a contemporary in the training ranks.
The younger O’Brien knows exactly how it feels to experience the challenge of the Breeders’ Cup Classic having partnered Declaration Of War to finish a narrow third to Mucho Macho Man for team Ballydoyle in 2013.
With no runners at the Breeders’ Cup this year, Joseph O’Brien is at Del Mar simply in hope of seeing history made, as the all-conquering son of Justify bids to end his father’s long quest to land the $7million contest.
“I think City Of Troy is the right type for the race, he’s got a ton of speed and a high cruising speed,” said O’Brien.
“As you know, there’s only one way to find out if they will adapt to the dirt or not and that is to run on it. I think he has the attributes though that would suggest he could be one of those that can adapt and take to it.
“I think it will be a fantastic race with some of the best dirt horses in America and top turf horses in Europe taking each other on and it could be one of the races of the year.”
Some of the biggest moments in O’Brien’s racing life have come at the Breeders’ Cup, winning the Turf aboard St Nicholas Abbey in 2011 and saddling Iridessa to strike at Santa Anita in 2019 after hanging up his riding boots.
Despite his best efforts, he was unable to break his father’s Classic losing streak when coming within a quarter of a length of glory in California 11 years ago.
Other than Mick Kinane’s agonising neck defeat aboard Giant’s Causeway at Churchill Downs in 2000, that is the closest in terms of distance that Aidan O’Brien has come to Classic glory.
“It was a fantastic run and I was very proud of the horse,” continued Joseph.
“It was frustrating to be beaten by the fine margin we were, but it was a great run from a very tough horse.
“Riding on dirt was great and it helped I had a very good horse. The race went very smoothly and he almost won, so it was a fantastic experience and felt special to go as close as we did.”
Another rider to participate in the Classic aboard an O’Brien hopeful is the legendary Kieren Fallon, who finished down the field aboard Oratorio at Belmont in 2005.
The six-time champion believes that although City Of Troy is arguably the best horse in the race with the best trainer and jockey on his side, it is the challenge of dirt that could ultimately prove the colt’s downfall.
“He will have to be handy and they are going to hassle him – you know what the Americans are like, it’s speed, speed, speed,” said Fallon.
“It’s going to be difficult and we’ve hardly won it before, Raven’s Pass was on the synthetics which is a totally different ball game.
“I know City Of Troy has gone round Southwell with some stablemates but that is only a drop in the ocean compared to what he will face around Del Mar.
“He’s by far the best horse in the race and he has the best jockey in the world on him – and of course Aidan O’Brien is his trainer – but it will be difficult and I wouldn’t be rushing to back him.
“He will never have faced anything like this in his life and if he gets back five, six, seven deep and with all the speed on the outside then it will be difficult. If he gets back too far I can’t see him facing the kickback because it’s wet dirt and he will be backing off.”
He went on: “I remember riding Hold That Tiger at Santa Anita on the dirt and he was by far the best horse in the race. He flew home to finish third but he just wouldn’t face the kickback, it’s very hard to face.
“City Of Troy is by Justify and that will be a little help, but other than that I think it will be tough. It would be great to see and I hope it happens, but I would be afraid to have a few quid on him myself.”
One team who have tasted Classic glory in the past – albeit on the Pro-Ride surface – is John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, who combined with the aforementioned Raven’s Pass to take home the trophy at Santa Anita in 2008.
That victory, when ironically getting the better of O’Brien’s Henrythenavigator, remains Europe’s most recent success in the Classic and the Clarehaven handler, who was once a California resident and knows the west coast tracks well, has offered the master of Ballydoyle his wisdom ahead of City Of Troy’s Del Mar date with destiny.
Gosden said: “I talked to Aidan after York. If you’re drawn on the inside you must break alertly and with a horse like him, if he got a clear run to the back, they probably wouldn’t catch him and he would outclass them.
“But our horses are not used to dirt hitting them in the face and that’s what they will be trying to avoid.”
Meanwhile, Dettori will be in opposition to the Derby winner aboard Bob Baffert’s Newgate in the Classic and although keeping his cards close to his chest, admits the Irish raider’s presence adds an extra dimension to the big race.
He said: “Nobody knows how City Of Troy will handle the track, but he’s bringing a lot of spice to the Classic this year.”
