AIDAN O’BRIEN blamed himself for City Of Troy’s disastrous flop in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday night. In an interview with Sun Racing columnist Matt Chapman, the

Friday night’s successes for the two-year-old stars Lake Victoria and Henri Matisse took O’Brien to 20 Breeders’ Cup wins in all, matching the renowned veteran trainer D Wayne Lukas. He is one ahead of both Chad Brown and Bob Baffert.

The Derby winner, tackling US dirt for the first time, was only eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic won by Sierra Leone, also owned by the Coolmore partners

Aidan O’Brien spearheaded a dream start to the 41st Breeders’ Cup for Europe and himself when Lake Victoria won the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Henri Matisse followed up in the Juvenile Turf in Del Mar.

George Washington proved a low point in O’Brien’s Classic history. The 2,000 Guineas winner was a fancied 4-1 hope as a three-year-old at Churchill Downs in 2006 and travelled notably well into the home straight before weakening after catching a bump when switched to make his challenge.

Coolmore got their hands on the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, but it was Sierra Leone and not City Of Troy who landed the spoils, as Aidan O’Brien’s quest for a fairytale success in Del Mar ended in disappointment.

Special is a word that has been thrown around about City Of Troy from the earliest stages of his racing career, and Aidan O’Brien’s superstar faces the ultimate test in Del Mar tonight.