City Of Troy stars in initial list of Derby entries

Champion juvenile City Of Troy is among the initial list of 72 put forward at the first entry stage of the Betfred Derby.

Aidan O’Brien’s Justify colt was unbeaten in three runs as a two-year-old, taking his maiden, the Superlative Stakes by six and a half lengths and then the Dewhurst by three and a half lengths.

His rating of 125 has left him at the top of the pile ahead of the new season, with stablemate Henry Longfellow third on the list on 119 and also nominated for the Epsom Classic.

There are 17 O’Brien-trained horses in the mix, including Diego Velazquez, winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, and Criterium de Saint-Cloud scorer Los Angeles.

City Of Troy – who will be seen first in the Qipco 2000 Guineas – heads the market, with Henry Longfellow behind him, after which Charlie Appleby is represented by Futurity Trophy winner Ancient Wisdom and Zetland Stakes victor Arabian Crown.

There are 46 British entries, 23 from Ireland and one each from France, the USA and Japan.

The next entry stage for the £1.5million showpiece, which takes place on June 1, is on April 24.