O'Brien blames himself for City Of Troy flop

The most predictable line in the aftermath of the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday was the one where Aidan O'Brien blamed himself for City Of Troy's failure to run to form - or, let's face it, to run any kind of race at all - in the meeting's showpiece event.

- Greg Wood

"He lost it at the start and obviously I didn't have him prepared to come out quick enough," O'Brien said. "He missed it and left Ryan [Moore] with no chance, really."

It was textbook O'Brien, and overly self-critical. A tardy start did nothing to help City Of Troy's cause, but the pace in the 14-runner race on Saturday was strong - 44.96sec for the first half-mile, the fastest in the Classic's 41-year history. It was being set up for a closer, and Sierra Leone, the winner, went into the first turn a half-length behind City Of Troy, before emerging a length in front.