The Coral-Eclipse Plans

Hi there!

It came as no surprise to learn over the weekend that City Of Troy will be aimed at the Coral-Eclipse rather than the Irish Derby.

Group 1 form over ten furlongs is always favoured over mile and a half form by breeders, who look for the sire to impose speed into a middle-distance or staying mare.

Although he was off the pace in the early stages of the Derby, he made all to win the Dewhurst and Sandown’s stiff mile and a quarter will suit his long-striding style of racing.

City Of Troy is a top price of 10/11 as I write, with Passenger – who misses the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot due to a foot infection – next best at 5/1.

Sir Michael Stoute’s son of Ulysses will have more to do than when beating Israr in the Group 2 Huxley Stakes at Chester and he will have to concede Aidan O’Brien’s colt the weight-for-age allowance of 10lbs.

A bigger threat may be White Birch, third in last year’s Derby but greatly improved this season, unbeaten in three starts and most impressive when reversing Epsom form with Auguste Rodin in the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month.

Rated 113 going into the race, 11lbs below Auguste Rodin, his mark was raised by 8lbs to 121 afterwards which is 4lbs ahead of Passenger and just 3lbs adrift of City Of Troy.

With Auguste Rodin expected to head for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Luxembourg pencilled in for the King George and Inspiral being aimed at the Queen Anne, this could end up being a small field.

If all goes well at home City Of Troy could start at long odds on. On Betfair City Of Troy is currently 1.76, shorter than the books, with White Birch unwanted on the win only market at 24, which may be due to his alternative entry in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes for which he is only 3.6 on Betfair.

I feel there is a trading opportunity for big players here on the favourite in what is likely to be a very small field. If City Of Troy turns up then I expect him to start at around 4/9 or possibly shorter. Of the others Dancing Gemini is worth noting as he ran like a non-stayer at Epsom.

Looking forward to Royal Ascot, which starts next Tuesday, the highlight of the first day will probably be the return meeting of Notable Speech and Rosallion in the St James’s Palace Stakes. French raider Darlinghurst, winner of the Group 3 Prix de Guiche, may be a contender and French Guineas winner Metropolitan is expected to be supplemented, but Notable Speech is likely to hold firm at the head of the market.

I gather that Dermot Weld has prepared Coeur D’or for the Royal Hunt Cup. The son of Dubawi caught the eye on his seasonal return over a wholly inadequate six furlongs at the Curragh last month. The trainer has praised the eight-year-old’s courage in the past and he landed a long-term plan when winning over the extended mile at Galway last August.

I have said before that a top-class trainer should be able to prepare a horse for a target at any level, and Dermot Weld has shown he can do this on numerous occasions.

He had one at the Curragh last week, when Zaragoza won an extended 6f handicap from an opening mark of 58 having been beaten just over 34 lengths in three starts.

I will be releasing my Daily Bulletins for each day of the meeting.

As always refer to the online shop for further information.

Bye for now

Marten