Long-striding City Of Troy impresses at Headquarters Fresh from a treble on the opening day of Irish Derby weekend, Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore resumed winning ways with City Of Troy in the opening juvenile colts and geldings maiden on day two. The unraced Justify colt broke nicely and tracked Instant Appeal in second with Huxley right there on his outer. City Of Troy took a narrow lead before halfway in this seven-furlong assignment and the front three had the field on the stretch in the final quarter of a mile. Instant Appeal was almost on terms with City Of Troy a furlong and a half down, but Moore drove City of Troy on at the furlong pole and the further he went the better he was as he drew two-and-a-half-lengths clear at the line to reward favourite backers at 6/4. Joseph O'Brien's Galen (12/1) put in plenty of good late work for second. He was a length and a-quarter in front of Instant Appeal who was backed from 12/1 to 17/2. O'Brien said: “Ryan was delighted with him. He said he was very frightened going past the winning post, he said it's the first time he's ever ridden a two-year-old that he thought wasn't going to pull up. “He said going to the winning post he just started to get longer and longer in his stride and galloped down to the boards. He gave him a lovely ride. “He has a big long stride and he's relentless really, I'm delighted with him. “He has great presence. We had his brother last year, Bertinelli, and he was a very big horse who we thought was going to be a three or four-year-old, but this horse is made like a two or three-year-old. “Dean (Gallagher) has done a great job with him at home. He's strong and powerful and he does a great job keeping him relaxed. “He's a medium-sized horse with a giant stride. He's very unusual, his stride is kind of twice the length of his body. When he started to extend inside the furlong marker, his stride is getting longer and longer - that's very rare. “That's what Justify had as well, his stride was so long and it made him very different. That's what they (his progeny) have as well and that's why the big ones take a bit of time. “They are very good movers and Justify had speed as well as stamina. He's matching great with the European mares. “Ryan said you can go anywhere you want with him and go as far as you want. “Obviously we have other horses to consider, but he'll go into one of those seven-furlong races next and it depends on how far the lads want to go with him, whether they want to go up to a mile with him this year or not.” Paddy Power gave City Of Troy a first show of 16/1 for the 2,000 Guineas. Additional reporting by Gary Carson
