Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Group 1)

PADDY Power made it a 4/1 shot that both Henry Longfellow and City Of Troy would take their chance in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes which proved accurate but somewhat surprisingly, it was the latter mentioned who was scratched on account of the softened ground.

That made the betting much more even between the Ballydoyle number one representative and the Phoenix Stakes winner Bucanero Fuerte but it was anything but even on the track, with Henry Longfellow smoothly going by his main market rival and sewing up the race at the one-furlong pole. At the line the 10/11 favourite had five lengths to spare over Islandsinthestream, who came through for second with Bucanero Fuerte disappointing seven and a half lengths further back in third.

The winner is impeccably bred, a son of Dubawi out of Minding, and he was making it three wins from three runs, all coming over this course and distance. He also created yet another milestone for Aidan O’Brien in providing him his 4,000th winner.

“The pedigree of this horse is second to none,” O’Brien said. “She (Minding) was the best mare we trained and Dubawi was the best possible outcross. It’s incredible. What he has is different, he quickens. He travels as well, and when Ryan asked him, he quickens and that makes him very hard to deal with for other horses.

Explaining the reasoning for the late switch-up, O’Brien added: “City Of Troy ran on ground probably not as bad as this in Newmarket and it was a long time since that run. He was going to improve from the run and sometimes when you have a horse that is going to improve from the run, win, lose or draw they can have a very hard time racing on soft ground.”

The two colts now dominate the betting for the 2000 Guineas and Derby, with City Of Troy still holding sway (best priced 5/2 for Guineas, 4/1 for Derby). The Superlative Stakes winner could go back to Newmarket now for the Dewhurst, which had been initially pencilled in for Henry Longfellow.

Looking to the future, O’Brien said: “This lad’s mam won over a mile, a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. City Of Troy just doesn’t know when to stop galloping. They are two serious prospects. The lads haven’t said to put them together at home and I was waiting for the day they were going to say it!”