In what might be an ominous portent of what is to come, City Of Troy “should have no problem over a range of distances” this season, according to Aidan O’Brien.

The unbeaten Justify colt enters his Classic year with a sky-high reputation and ranked second only to Johannesburg – a four-time Group One-winning juvenile – among O’Brien’s 13 champion two-year-olds to date with a rating of 125 following the unveiling of the European classifications.

“He looks very exciting, obviously, and he looks like he’ll have no problem going up in distance,” said O’Brien of the Dewhurst winner, who is favourite for the 2000 Guineas and Derby and has even been talked of as a potential Triple Crown horse.

“I suppose from the first time he ran he looked something different and we always felt that he was a horse who should go forward from two to three, so he’s very exciting from that point of view.

“Johannesburg was more of a two-year-old, he was a small horse. This horse has a massive big, long stride, a bigger horse and obviously he looks very exciting.

“He’s made good physical progress, we’re very happy with him. He’s not too big a horse, he’s not too small, he’s medium-sized and a lovely, well-balanced horse, he’s got a lovely mind. He’s moving very well and he looks like a horse who should have no problem over a range of distances.

“I suppose what makes him different is the tempo he goes in a race and then he just kicks into another gear at halfway, really.

“We didn’t have a horse as exciting ever as City Of Troy as a two-year-old, probably.”

O’Brien enjoyed notable success from a relatively small sample with offspring of American Triple Crown hero Justify, and he floated the idea of taking some of them out to the States to race on dirt.

“We will definitely consider taking the Justifys to America. I would imagine they will be made for the dirt, Justify was a big dirt sprinter who got a mile and a half, but that is why he’s so exciting, they are as good on turf as dirt,” said O’Brien.

“The Kentucky Derby is unlikely as we might not have anything forward enough for that, but after that, once the Classics are out of the way, there’s every chance we could travel over with some of them.”

City Of Troy was rated 5lb clear of Bucanero Fuerte, trained by Adrian Murray, while just 1lb behind him was another O’Brien inmate, Henry Longfellow, also unbeaten in three races.

“We always thought they were two very good colts but we never put them together,” said O’Brien.

“Both travel very well and quicken very well. City Of Troy has a lower action, while Henry Longfellow bends his knee a little bit.

“Henry Longfellow was impressive in his three runs but what City Of Troy did, he always looked different.

“We were thinking at the moment, although obviously it can change, of starting City Of Troy at Newmarket and we’re thinking of maybe starting Henry Longfellow in France.”

The leading two-year-old filly for 2023 was another Ballydoyle inmate, Opera Singer, a five-length winner of the Prix Marcel Boussac.

“I think we’ll probably start her in the English Guineas. Physically she’s done very well, she’s at the same stage as City Of Troy at the moment,” said O’Brien.

“We’ll probably split them up, one might go to France and one might go to England, her and Ylang Ylang (Fillies’ Mile winner), that’s what we’re thinking at the moment.

“She’s a Justify and they are very versatile but she’s out of a Sadler’s Wells mare (Liscanna) and we didn’t think she’d have any problems handling an ease in the ground. We were hoping good ground would bring out the best in her.”

Opera Singer is a half-sister to Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna, who both won Group Ones at two but failed to train on at three.

“I suppose she’s by Justify which is the massive thing and Justifys improve a lot a three, that’s what we’re thinking. She’s much bigger than they were, scopier, so I think the Justify factor will make a massive difference to her,” said O’Brien.

“When you look at a horse you can tell physically if they have changed from two to three, first impressions is always the thing. Some might get heavier but physically they don’t change.

“They’ve done all their strength and conditioning now and their canters are starting to build up so you want them to be looking like three-year-olds now.”

Mark Bird, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s handicapper, has spoken of a “slightly worrying trend” as the number of horses to make the juvenile classifications dropped to a new low in 2023.

Horse have to achieve a mark of at least 110 to feature on the coveted list, which was this year dominated by the 125-rated City Of Troy.

While Bird lauded the champion, he believes the fact that only 36 contenders made the cut last term is a concern, with the number of British and French-trained runners both taking a notable dip.

He said: “We have 36 horses in the classification this year, 27 colts and nine fillies. That is the lowest total there’s ever been in terms of the international classifications for two-year-olds since it began in 1978. Our previous low was 40.

“Looking at the trends going back over the years, the average even starting this century back in 2000, was about 48 and we’re down this year, so that’s a 25 per cent drop. That begs the question are the horses still around, are they not being campaigned and what is the reason behind that.

“The decline has been marked and notable, particularly in the last decade when the numbers have slipped. That’s something we noticed, certainly in the last number of years and particularly this year where it is a record low.

“In terms of identifying where the fall off has been, I think the number of Irish-trained two-year-olds largely thanks to Ballydoyle has remained relatively stable. There has been a drop off, certainly over the last 20 years in France, and more recently there has been quite a drop off in British-trained two-year-olds.”

Seeking to explain the trend, Bird highlighted the lacklustre campaign endured by Charlie Appleby’s team, with the Godolphin trainer usually a powerhouse in the division, but also highlighted the commercial opportunities for a well-regarded maiden winner on the international market.

He added: “Obviously we have a lack of Godolphin-owned horses on the classification this year, John and Thady Gosden have two horses on it but there are gaps this year that might perhaps explain why it’s so low, but in overall terms I suppose it’s a slightly worrying trend.

“We have a high-class champion this year and there are a number of good horses, particularly in terms of Ballydoyle, but the overall landscape may give some cause for concern given the low numbers.

“This century the average number of French runners to now has been about seven and it’s down to four this year, the average of British-trained runners in the classification is 24 down to 17 this year, the average Irish representation since 2000 has been about 15 and it’s 15 this year, so certainly a fall in terms of numbers in France and Britain.

“I think what is essentially keeping Ireland afloat is Coolmore and their strong representation.

“It does bring up the issue of whether the two-year-olds are there, are they not being campaigned or are they being sold to the Middle East or Hong Kong. Domestically, a maiden winner in Ireland, almost immediately you get a call asking what it’s going to be rated because somebody wants to sell it or buy it.

“Over the course of the last 20 years I think that does have an impact in terms of the number of horses we have in this classification and it’s just the reality of life really.”

Graeme Smith, the British Horseracing Authority’s handicapping team leader, is inclined to think the contraction of British-trained stars is a “blip”, pointing to wide-margin big-race winners having an impact.

He said: “I do wonder if this year is a blip for Britain because the last few years we have had 21, 26 and 25, it’s just 17 this year. The obvious absence of Godolphin two-year-olds, I think Charlie Appleby has got one on the list in Ancient Wisdom, there’s got to be a lot of talent bubbling under in that stable and the same with John and Thady Gosden.

“We have had some wide-margin winners of some of our biggest races which enables us to rate the winners high, but the placed horses, it’s difficult to get a big rating on them when they have been beaten so far.

“We have also had a lot of races with really condensed finishes as well and when you start putting elevated figures on the winner and the second, all of sudden you have the seventh and eighth rated 110 which is unrealistic.”

Aidan O’Brien has indicated last year’s star three-year-old Auguste Rodin could begin his 2024 campaign in the Dubai Sheema Classic.

Winner of the Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf, he was expertly handled by O’Brien to bounce back from bitter disappointments in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the King George at Ascot.

To win four times at the highest level in three different countries confirmed O’Brien’s long-held view that Auguste Rodin, who is by Japanese superstar Deep Impact, is a little out of the ordinary.

As such it was a bold decision by connections to keep him in training, and O’Brien is clearly not going to wrap him up in cotton wool, with the first part of his season potentially already mapped out and a crack at the world’s best dirt races possible later in the year.

Speaking on a media call regarding the 2023 European Classifications, which saw his City Of Troy lead the way, O’Brien said: “I suppose with Auguste Rodin this year we are going to start off probably in Dubai (March 30), then he might come back to the Curragh for the Tattersalls (Gold Cup), then he could go to Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.

“Then after that it is possible we could have a look at dirt and see what happens because when we cantered him on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup he was loving it.”

City Of Troy has been rated just 1lb lower than the figure achieved by the mighty Frankel as a two-year-old after being officially crowned the champion juvenile of 2023.

The son of American Triple Crown hero Justify carried all before him in each of his three starts last season, landing a Curragh maiden and the Group Two Superlative Stakes before putting the seal on a memorable campaign with a scintillating Group One success in the Dewhurst at Newmarket.

With a rating of 125, the colt becomes the 13th European champion juvenile trained by Aidan O’Brien and puts him only marginally behind Frankel and the Ballydoyle handler’s highest-rated two-year-old to date in Johannesburg, who were both given a mark of 126 following their respective debut seasons.

In the immediate aftermath of City Of Troy’s Dewhurst triumph, O’Brien said: “He is the best two-year-old we’ve trained, there’s no doubt”, while part-owner Michael Tabor described the hugely-exciting colt as “our Frankel”.

Reflecting on City Of Troy’s achievements, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s handicapper Mark Bird said: “City Of Troy proved himself the cream of the two-year-old crop in Europe this year with three impressive performances between July and October.

“His rating of 125 places him alongside high-class horses such as Zafonic and Fasliyev at the same stage of their careers and behind only four-time Group One-winning juvenile Johannesburg among his own stable’s illustrious roll call of European Champion Two-Year-Olds.”

City Of Troy finished clear of his rivals in the final classification, with Phoenix Stakes hero Bucanero Fuerte best of the rest with a figure of 120.

City Of Troy’s stablemate Henry Longfellow, who defeated Bucanero Fuerte to land the National Stakes at the Curragh in September, achieved a mark of 119 to take joint-third honours alongside Simon and Ed Crisford’s Middle Park Stakes victor Vandeek, who is the highest-rated British-trained juvenile.

Graeme Smith, the British Horseracing Authority’s handicapping team leader, said of Vandeek: “He posted the best two performances by a British-trained juvenile in 2023.

“His narrow defeat of the excellent French filly Ramatuelle came in one of the strongest renewals of the Prix Morny (118) in recent years and he was marginally better again when winning the Middle Park with authority on his final start (119).”

The Betfair Ascot Chase is seen as the perfect stepping stone to the “greatest race of the season” by connections of L’Homme Presse, as they plot a course to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

There were emotional scenes in the Lingfield winner’s enclosure on Sunday, after Venetia Williams’ nine-year-old defied a 391-day absence with a victorious return to action in the Fleur De Lys Chase to put himself firmly in the Gold Cup picture.

But before the blue riband, L’Homme Presse could drop back to two miles and five furlongs at Ascot and seek a third Grade One triumph on February 17.

“He’s won at Ascot before, he won the graduation chase there, so we know he likes it there,” said Andy Edwards, who owns L’Homme Presse in partnership with Peter Pink

“It’s a lovely, big galloping track and the fences take proper jumping and he’s a good jumper.

“The timing is almost exactly four weeks to Ascot and then the same to the Gold Cup, so everything is right for him and that is where we would like to go really.”

Having successfully blown any cobwebs away on his eagerly-awaited return in the Winter Million Festival feature, the L’Homme Presse team are determined to leave no stone unturned in their quest to have their charge arrive at the Gold Cup primed to perfection on March 15.

“When we discussed this with Venetia and the other owners Pat and Peter (Pink) and Pam (Edwards, wife), they are racehorses and they love their racing and are ready to race,” continued Edwards.

“If we had one or two runs before Christmas, we might be saying we will wait for the Gold Cup, but this was our first run of the season and a stepping stone, and Ascot will be another stepping stone to what is the greatest race of the season, the Gold Cup.

“There’s nowhere to hide and you can’t be ring-rusty when you go to the Gold Cup, you have to be spot on.

“Yes there’s an element of taking your opportunities when they arise because as we found last year something small can upturn the apple cart, but it is another stepping stone and we felt along with Venetia that this is the right way to go.”

The Fleur De Lys showdown between L’Homme Presse and Dan Skelton’s Protektorat lived up to its top billing as the focal point of Sunday’s Winter Million card, with the duo embroiled in a titanic tussle all the way up the Lingfield home straight.

The winner is reported to have bounced sprightly out of his return to action, while Edwards is also keen to point out it takes two to make a great race, with the sportsmanship of the Protektorat team coming to the fore post-race.

“I went down to see him first thing this morning and he’s tip-top, everything is fine he has come out of the race for well,” he added.

“The best horse on the day won and it could easily have been Protektorat. He had race-fitness on his side and he gave us 4lb for that race fitness. It was a great spectacle for everyone and for the sport.

“As the horses were going out I went over to Dan Skelton and we both had these big silly grins on and wished each other the best of luck and hoped it would be a great spectacle and everyone comes home happy.

“He was then one of the first people to come up to me and congratulate me in the winner’s enclosure afterwards and that speaks volumes of him. His horse was marvellous, Protektorat jumped like a stag and I imagine all his connections and the staff at Dan’s yard are really proud of him, as they should be, and as we are of L’Homme Presse.

“It was a proper horse race from two excellent racehorses.”

It had been a long and anxious 13-month wait to see L’Homme Presse back on the track since an injury discovered shortly after his run in the 2022 King George VI Chase crushed dreams of competing in last year’s Gold Cup.

His comeback triumph was met with rapturous applause by those in attendance at Lingfield and L’Homme Presse’s journey back to racecourse action was credited as the cause for the emotional post-race scenes as Edwards reflected on an unforgettable afternoon at the Surrey venue.

Edwards added: “You’ve all seen me in tears (on television) – sometimes you don’t need words, the emotions speak volumes in their own way.

“Thirteen months has been a long time, and the King George and Boxing Day was a horrible day for all of us. You can only dream of having a runner in the King George and for it to end in such a sad way that day, from there until now has been a long road and a long journey. I think if we weren’t emotional, I don’t think we should be in it (racing).

“The cameras never showed everyone else in tears outside of the winner’s enclosure – people who knew me or may have had dealings with me – but a lot of people were in tears because what a great emotion it is when you see a story or journey like that. It should be emotional.

“The amount of well-wishes and warmth I received from people wanting him to run well was fantastic and Martin Cruddace (CEO of Arena Racing Company) said to me the roar he got when he won and came back to the winner’s enclosure, it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. You could really feel the love for the horse.”

Ground conditions at Doncaster are likely to dictate whether Famous Bridge is rerouted to Saturday’s Great Yorkshire Chase after the weather scuppered his planned return to Haydock last weekend.

The eight-year-old, who runs in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, has won his last two starts over fences at the latter venue, most recently landing the Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase pre-Christmas.

He was due to bid for a hat-trick on Merseyside in Saturday’s Peter Marsh Chase, but the abandonment of Haydock’s card has forced trainer Nicky Richards back to the drawing board.

When asked whether it was the plan to run Famous Bridge in the Great Yorkshire Chase, the Greystoke handler said: “It is and it isn’t. Mick (Meagher, racing manager) said to put him in, so we confirmed him, but we’ll just be keeping an eye on the ground. If it’s windy and dry all week and it’s edging towards good ground, I’m not quite sure what we’ll be thinking.

“He’s in grand form and it’s a shame Saturday was off (at Haydock). I don’t know why they couldn’t reschedule for Sunday, but I suppose in the circumstances that wouldn’t have been very pleasant either.

“A bit of good to soft ground wouldn’t bother him. I wouldn’t like to pigeon-hole him and say he’s just a Haydock horse or anything like that. He’s won two around Wetherby, he’s won at Kelso and Ayr – this horse would go around anywhere.

“He’s just a proper National Hunt horse, a fairly big boy and a strong horse, so we’ll just keep an eye on the weather and the ground and see where we are later in the week.”

Richards – whose yard was feeling the effects of Storm Isha on Monday, being without power for large parts of the day – has also confirmed Universal Folly, who has won three times and finished second on four occasions from only eight chase starts, and the trainer feels a sound surface may bring him into the equation off a light weight.

He added: “His owner is away on holiday, he’s in Barbados, I think, and I think I woke him up this morning when I gave him a call and asked him what he thought about entering for Doncaster.

“There is also the Edinburgh Grand National at Musselburgh for him and if it’s softer ground at Doncaster, the Musselburgh race might not be as strong, so we’ll just see what the weather does.

“If it’s a windy, dry week, I know it will take a lot of winning the Great Yorkshire, but it might take a bit less winning if it’s on good ground as a lot of other trainers might be thinking like we’re thinking with Famous Bridge.

“We’ll just see how the week pans out, but he’s in grand form as well and is ready to run somewhere.”

The Richards pair are among 27 horses still in the mix for the £100,000 contest, with the weights headed by Jamie Snowden’s Ga Law, who looked the likely winner when falling at the final fence 12 months ago.

Snowden could also saddle Git Maker, while ante-post favourite Victtorino is set to represent Ventia Williams following back-to-back wins at Ascot.

Other hopefuls include Anthony Honeyball’s Forward Plan and the Nicky Henderson-trained Mister Coffey, who finished first and second over the course and distance last month, and the improving Surrey Quest from Toby Lawes’ stable.

The only remaining Irish contender is the Emmet Mullins-trained Sweet Will.

Persistence paid off for Hayley Turner after she bounced back from being unshipped leaving the paddock to ride Flag Carrier to victory at Kempton.

The 41-year-old was thrown off in dramatic fashion ahead of the Try Unibet’s Improved Bet Builder Handicap and the Harry Eustace-trained gelding had to be walked down to the start on his own.

Turner only got back on board her mount in the stalls and the three-year-old continued to cause her problems by pulling hard in the early stages.

However, when Flag Carrier finally settled down to business in the home straight of the seven-furlong contest, he picked up well from mid-division and went on to score by a length at 3-1.

“I think what’s happened is that he’s run with the blinkers on quite a lot and I just think it might have got the better of him today,” Turner told Racing TV.

“He’s been here before but he’s just got himself into a tizzle, so I think the guys have done a really good job of actually getting him to the start in one piece.

“I should probably give them my riding fee, because actually in the race he was a little bit keen but did it quite comfortably in the end.”

It was the first time Turner had partnered Flag Carrier, who broke his duck at the seventh time of asking, and she was happy to laugh off his unruly behaviour beforehand.

“He wasn’t the most straightforward and that’s not him generally, but he just had a bee in his bonnet today,” added the jockey.

“He still won despite that and at least I got a nice fall, because I landed in the hedge. The hedge hasn’t done very well out of it, but I was fine!”

Fergal O’Brien is happy with his plan to send Long Walk hero Crambo straight to the Stayers’ Hurdle, as he begins to step up his star performer’s work ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

Owned by Jared Sullivan and Chris Giles, the seven-year-old advertised his potential with some fine performances in handicap company, including when winning last year’s EBF Final at Sandown.

However, he announced himself as a major player in the staying division when outbattling the stalwart Paisley Park to claim Grade One honours at Ascot prior to Christmas.

Crambo is as short as 6-1 for Cheltenham success in the spring, but while some of his Stayers’ Hurdle counterparts will tune-up for Festival action in Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle, O’Brien is content to prepare his charge at his Ravenswell Farm base.

“Crambo is in great form and he had a hard race at Ascot, so he’s just stepping up his work again and tipping away,” said O’Brien.

“Eve, who looks after him and rides him, is very happy with him and he actually did his first piece of work on Saturday since he won and we were very happy with him.

“He was in a proper battle with those boys at Ascot and he doesn’t need to do that again until Cheltenham, so fingers crossed he will turn up at Cheltenham in the same form as Ascot and do the job for us.

“What I loved about Ascot was he jumped the last and looked like he was going to go away and win and Paisley Park thought ‘I’m not giving this up’ and actually got back ahead of him.

“Five or six strides from the line, he managed to get back in front and started to go away again, so it will give him huge confidence and give Johnny (Burke, jockey) confidence in him.

“He doesn’t show anything at home but he just has a fantastic will to win.”

O’Brien is still to taste success at National Hunt’s showpiece meeting but will head to Prestbury Park with one of his strongest hands to date, as alongside Crambo, he is also poised to saddle Dysart Enos, who is one of the leading fancies for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

The Grade Two bumper winner has maintained her unbeaten record since switching to timber this term and is in line to complete her Festival preparations at Doncaster on Sunday in the Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle.

“She hopefully goes to Doncaster on Sunday for just an ordinary novice,” continued O’Brien.

“Fingers crossed, she can have a nice clear round there, do her job and then go to Cheltenham.

“She wouldn’t be able to wait until Cheltenham, it would be too long for her, but we’ve been very happy with her.”

Givemefive looks set to take his famous golfing owners to the Cheltenham Festival after maintaining his unbeaten record over obstacles with a runaway success at Warwick.

The four-year-old carries the colours of Smash Racing, a syndicate that includes a couple of Major champions in Northern Ireland’s 2010 US Open hero Graeme McDowell and his American colleague Brooks Koepka, who claimed back-to-back victories in the same event in 2017 and 2018 and has also won three PGA Championships.

A winner on the Flat for Johnny Murtagh in September, the Holy Roman Emperor gelding was subsequently snapped up to pursue a jumping career with Harry Derham.

Derham recalled how winning a challenge with McDowell during a Pro-Am contest led to him getting the two golfing stars on board.

He said: “I’ve known Graeme for a long time and the conversation about owning a racehorse came about at a Pro-Am event. He said if I got closer to the pin than him then he would buy a horse and I somehow managed to get it within a few feet of it and beat him.

“Graeme then got the other guys involved and they are both very engaged in all the conversations about the horse on WhatsApp.”

With Koepka’s friend Daniel Gambill also an owner, Givemefive made a successful debut for his new connections at Market Rasen last month and was a 2-1 shot to follow up under a penalty in the Hazelton Mountford Insurance Brokers Juvenile Hurdle.

Derham had been eyeing the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Festival prior to his second jumping start – and while that still looks his most likely Cheltenham target, the trainer admitted he will also have to look at the Triumph Hurdle following a dominant 18-length victory in the hands of Paul O’Brien.