AIDAN O’Brien has described City Of Troy as the most exciting horse he has ever trained at two after the unbeaten colt was crowned the champion two-year-old in the 2023 European classification.

The brilliant Dewhurst winner’s rating of 125 was officially recognised as the best of any juvenile last year and O’Brien indicated at a British Horseracing Authority press launch on Tuesday that the Qipco 2000 Guineas will be the colt’s first target for 2024.

O’Brien and the Coolmore partners were responsible for two of the top three colts in Europe last season, with Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes scorer Henry Longfellow handed a mark of 119 - just 1lb behind Adrian Murray’s Phoenix Stakes hero Bucanero Fuerte.

“We always thought City Of Troy and Henry Longfellow were two very good colts,” said the Ballydoyle maestro.

“We never put them together and they never had to meet, but we felt they were very high-class colts. Both travel and quicken well. City Of Troy has a lower action, whereas Henry Longfellow bends his knee a little bit. City Of Troy gets down very low.

“It’s interesting to hear that the handicappers have rated them in this way. Henry Longfellow was very impressive in his three runs but I suppose what City Of Troy did every day always looked different, didn’t it? We probably haven’t ever had a horse as exciting as City Of Troy as a two-year-old.”

Classic targets

City Of Troy is already no bigger than even-money for the 2000 Guineas and 5/2 for the Betfred-backed Derby. Only superb two-year-old Johannesburg was rated higher at this stage of the season, in terms of the record-breaking trainer’s top juveniles down the years.

“City Of Troy looks like he’ll have no problem going up in distance,” said O’Brien.

“From the first time he ran, we thought he looked different. We think he’s the sort of horse who will go forward from two to three. It’s very exciting. Johannesburg was more of a two-year-old, a smaller horse who didn’t have the big stride that City Of Troy has to him. His stride is massive and he’s bigger than you think he is too.

“He’s made good physical progress over the winter. He’s done his strength and conditioning work and he’s only starting now, but he’s doing it very well. He’s very comfortable and happy. Mentally he’s very good. He’s not too big or too small, he’s medium-sized, lovely, well-balanced horse with a good mind. He’s moving very well. I suppose what makes him different is the tempo he’s able to go in a race, and then he just kicks into another gear at halfway.

“Obviously it can all change but we’re thinking at the moment of starting off City Of Troy in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, and maybe starting Henry Longfellow in France. It can change but they’ll stay on the same programme for the moment.”