Aidan O'Brien: my leading three-year-olds and unraced juveniles

City Of Troy was the centre of attention when Aidan O'Brien invited the media to his Ballydoyle base on Wednesday. 

Last season's champion two-year-old is favourite for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Derby. Whisper it quietly, he could be a Triple Crown candidate.

O'Brien has other Classic aspirants among his three-year-olds. Here's what he had to say about several of them, plus some of his juveniles.

He always looked a bit different, every time we worked him really. Then he ran in his maiden. All he can do is keep turning up and running and see what is happening, but he does work very different Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment, it’s deep. Horses shouldn’t like that, but he is just powering through it.

We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing – him, Henry Longfellow, River Tiber, they’ll all go together over seven, seven and a half furlongs and we’ll have a little look and all get together, talk to the lads, but the plan is to go straight to the Guineas.

If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there’s a chance he could go to Saratoga for a dirt race, the Travers, and that’s very possible if things go well, it will be interesting. I don’t feel pressure, all we can do is our best and whatever will be will be.

He’s done very well over the winter. He’s a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he’s much bigger than you think, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.

When John (Magnier) and the lads are thinking like that, they are happy to push him out there and see what he can do. If it went well in the Guineas, we’re happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then come back to 10 furlongs for the Travers on dirt.

The thinking is to expose him. Obviously he’s by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass, that’s what makes him unique really. It’s going to be very exciting, interesting really.

With workouts planned for his Classic hopefuls at the weekend, O’Brien will be hoping the current saturated ground dries up.

I’d imagine if he goes to the Guineas he’ll go himself, but when we go to Naas on Sunday it will be the first time they’ve been put together, so we’ll see what will happen.

What makes him unusual is that he’s by Justify, he should be at home on the dirt but they seem the same on the grass. They stay very well, they are uncomplicated, you can ride them forward.

Justify looks like a big Quarter Horse but the unusual thing about all his stock is they are very similar, you can set them out there and you can go, that’s what makes him so easy, he can do his own thing, they don’t over-race and just keep going.

Content was impressive last year, she had a lovely run first time but then went to Ascot and lost her way, we had to slow her down and get her to relax. She won at the Curragh and came home very well (fourth) in the Breeders’ Cup. She could be a very nice filly, you just have to take your time with her, as she has plenty of speed.

Grosvenor Square could be a very interesting horse. I think he’d have no problem with better ground. He’s not a heavy-framed horse, he’s a good mover. He’ll go for a Derby trial.

Henry Adams is lovely and has done very well and he is down to go to Dubai to run in the UAE Derby on the dirt. He’s a No Nay Never so will be interesting on the dirt.

Henry Longfellow could stretch out but he looks like a miler the way he’s going, so how much further he’d get, I’m not sure. He could be a French Derby horse, as could Diego Velazquez, he might be more that than a Guineas horse, but he’ll go with them (to Naas) as well, so it will be interesting.”

Los Angeles is a big, strong, powerful horse. He always worked much quicker than he should have been from the day we started working him, he showed loads. He’s very big and shouldn’t have shown as much as he was, but he always did. Then he ran in Tipperary and won in Saint-Cloud and Christophe (Soumillon) was impressed the day he rode him. He’ll go for a Derby trial and we’ll see what will happen. He’ll probably go to Naas on Sunday as well. He could be a Curragh (Irish Derby) horse."

As for his Derby team, as usual there are several who at this stage would appear to have all the right credentials. Leopardstown winner Ocean Of Dreams, from the family of the great Urban Sea, is certainly bred for the job.

Ocean Of Dreams is getting ready for the Ballysax. He worked yesterday and worked lovely but he’s a bit of a baby because he’s only had one run, so he needs to get out,” continued O’Brien. He looks a lovely horse, he won very easily. He has a very good pedigree, he goes back to Urban Sea, I think he’s a Derby trial horse, no doubt about that.

I like a lot. She did very well to do what she did because everything went wrong with her the third day, she was too keen. She had to come back to Newmarket and relax but then to go back and do what she did in the Fillies’ Mile, you’d have to like her a lot. She could get a mile and a half, she’s out of a Shamardal mare, so there’s every chance she could and the way she likes to be ridden will help her.

I don’t think if Opera Singer was going to make the Guineas it would have been a difficult choice for Ryan (Moore) though, she (Opera Singer) is very good. What she did in the Boussac…she’s another Justify, set her off in front and follow me if you want.

The other filly is very good but you have to take your time with her. That’s what makes the Justifys so good, they are so uncomplicated. Opera Singer is cantering but missed a few weeks, so I imagine the Irish Guineas would be the earliest, we’d just have to rush her too much otherwise. The year is long.

always worked very good. He wasn’t right in Deauville or in the Middle Park, he wasn’t 100 per cent, so there’s a good chance there’s more to come from him. I think he’s a miler, he’s fast, I couldn’t see him getting much further.

Unquestionable could go to the French Guineas, he’s done very well. He’ll go to Naas on Sunday (after racing) and he could go for a trial in France before going back for the Guineas – and he could be a French Derby horse, he’s not as quick as the others, so he could get a bit further. When we went to America with them last year, River Tiber was five lengths better than the winner. He’s not rated that way, but if you put the two of them together, that is what will happen.

None of the two-year-olds are named yet, but we think we have two good Justifys, out of two sisters (Fabulous and Butterflies).

We’ve some nice Wootton Bassetts this year, more than we’ve had before. We’re starting (the season) earlier and I was conscious that I didn’t want to have them ready to run in that ground because they have to be very fit, so if they are, they won’t make it through the summer.

The Wootton Bassett out of Immortal Verse looks very smart, as does the Wootton Bassett out of Ennistymon. We’re just going gently with them.

Wootton Bassett looks very different, we only had two colts last year and they were both very good – River Tiber and Unquestionable.