Derby king City Of Troy to skip Irish Derby in favour of Eclipse bid at Sandown | Racing News

City Of Troy will drop back in trip for his first start since winning the Derby, with Sandown’s Coral-Eclipse confirmed as the next port of call for Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom champion.

The son of Justify carried all before him as a juvenile, going through his two-year-old season unbeaten and igniting triple crown dreams for his Classic season.

Despite 2000 Guineas disappointment at Newmarket and subsequent questions to answer, City Of Troy was sent off the 3/1 favourite for the Premier Classic at Epsom, where he silenced his critics in style as he ran out a two-and-three-quarter-length winner.

City Of Troy did have the option of following in the footsteps of last year’s Derby scorer Auguste Rodin by taking in the Irish equivalent, but owners Coolmore have now finalised running plans, with Los Angeles set to carry Ballydoyle hopes at the Curragh on June 30 and City Of Troy heading to Sandown a week later.

A Coolmore statement said: “Following discussions between the Coolmore partners and trainers Aidan O’Brien and Chad Brown, Los Angeles (Camelot) will take his place in the €1,250,000 Irish Derby field on June 30 at the Curragh, where he will bid to emulate his sire in winning Ireland’s premier Classic.

“European Champion Two-Year-Old and decisive Epsom Derby victor, City Of Troy (Justify) will drop back in trip for Sandown’s 10-furlong feature, the Eclipse Stakes, on the following Saturday, July 6.”

Following the news, City Of Troy has been immediately cut to even-money favourite from 6/4 by the Sandown race sponsors.

Coral’s David Stevens said: “It’s fantastic news that the Derby winner and one of the most talked about horses for several seasons is to be aimed at the Coral-Eclipse, and City Of Troy is sure to be sent off a red-hot favourite at Sandown, when he bids to become the first Epsom hero since the mighty Sea The Stars to follow up in this clash of the generations.”

Coolmore also confirmed that Auguste Rodin will take part in the Group One Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, while Kentucky Derby runner-up and Belmont Stakes third Sierra Leone will head to Saratoga’s Travers Stakes, a race that was also mentioned in dispatches for City Of Troy in the Epsom aftermath.