City Of Troy set to earn owners £200,000-a-minute with ‘nothing to beat’ in Coral-Eclipse after White Birch ruled out
CITY Of Troy’s owners are set to earn over £200,000-a-minute on Saturday – after punters claimed the Derby hero was left with ‘nothing to beat’ in the Coral-Eclipse.
Aidan O’Brien’s superstar colt has been smashed into 2-5 for Saturday’s big race after main market rival White Birch was ruled out.
John Joseph Murphy’s striking grey returned poor blood test results for the second major meeting in a row.
THE SUN RACING MEMBERS ENCLOSURE
THE best bet for savvy punters.
Sign up now for just £1* to be part of racing’s best winner’s enclosure and get…
- Two free racing tickets, four times a year
- Templegate’s daily tips before anyone else
- Tomorrow’s copy of The Favourite at 9pm today
- Exclusive insights from Andrew Balding and Hayley Turner
- VIP competitions from Racing Breaks each month
- New customer offer with Coral
Become a member today for just £1*
*For the first month then £3 per month thereafter.
18+ Ts and Cs apply. First month membership £1, then £3 per month unless you cancel at least 7 days before your next billing date. For more information contact help@thesun.co.uk
He will not travel to Sandown for the 1m2f Group 1, meaning City Of Troy’s biggest rival – according to the market at least – is now Roger Teal’s Dancing Gemini, who’s as big as 8-1.
Dancing Gemini was beaten more than eight lengths by City Of Troy in the Derby but came close in a Longchamp Group 1 over a mile so could get closer over this shorter trip.
But it’s clear bookies think there will be only one winner.
And City Of Troy will land his owners – John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith – more than £200,000-a-minute should he succeed.
First place in the blockbuster summer Group 1 is worth £425,325 and the winning time of the ten furlong race has traditionally been a shade over two minutes.
It looks like being good ground at the track with the threat of only light rain on Friday.
So if City Of Troy, who is by Triple Crown-winning Justify, really turns on the afterburners he could get close to a record time.
Coral’s David Stevens said: “It’s obviously disappointing for all concerned that White Birch will not be lining up in Saturday’s big race.
“He would have been the chief market rival to City Of Troy, but in his absence, the Derby winner is now 2-5 favourite to complete the big race double.”
Clive Cox’s Ghostwriter was fourth in the Prix Du Jockey Club and could pose a threat if learning to settle sooner.
While Aidan O’Brien is also set to run recent Coronation Cup scorer Luxembourg.
The pair are 7-1 and 8-1 respectively with race sponsors Coral but beyond that everything is double digits.
Hence some punters saying City Of Troy has ‘nothing to beat’ on his latest step towards racing immortality.
Coral-Eclipse odds via Coral
2-5 City Of Troy
7-1 Dancing Gemini, Ghostwriter
8-1 Luxembourg
16-1 Jayarebe
25-1 Al Riffa, Continuous
50-1 Stay Alert
66-1 Hans Andersen, See The Fire
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.