Legendary jockey Johnny Murtagh says ‘I’m not having that’ after Aidan O’Brien’s City Of Troy claim

LEGENDARY jockey Johnny Murtagh has hit back at Aidan O’Brien’s claim City Of Troy is his best Derby winner ever and said: “I’m not having that!”

The superstar three-year-old colt roared back to life in the Epsom Classic after flopping completely in the 2000 Guineas.

Times Newspapers LtdJohnny Murtagh celebrates after winning the Derby on High Chaparral[/caption]

It’s thought the Irish Derby could be next on the son of Justify’s agenda – before a possible tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November.

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O’Brien was hailed for getting City Of Troy back to his brilliant best after a disastrous Newmarket run.

And in the aftermath of the win he said the colt was the best of his ten Derby winners.

But Murtagh, who won the race three times including on O’Brien’s High Chapparal in 2002, isn’t so sure.

He told Racing TV: “How could you fancy that horse after the Guineas? But when you do stretch them up in trip…

“He’s a horse that probably wants the distance. He got a great ride – the ride meant a lot. He saved a lot of ground.

“But I’m not having Aidan saying he’s the best he’s ever had – yet! He needs to do a bit more than that.

“I tell you I wouldn’t have minded behind upsides him there on High Chaparral at the two pole because that would have been a good old tussle.

“Galileo looked pretty good round there too.

“So he has to do a little bit more, Aidan.”

A lot punters agreed with Murtagh’s verdict but some were in the other camp.

It was unclear immediately after Epsom where City Of Troy was going to run next despite being cut into 3-1 favourite for the Coral-Eclipse by the bookies.

But the Irish Derby is very much in the sights of O’Brien and the Coolmore ‘lads’, and the colt is an odds-on shot for the big’un at the Curragh on June 30.

The team are keen to support the Irish Derby – which has taken plenty of stick for being uncompetitive and a poor relation to the English version in recent years – with the best three-year-old they have.

O’Brien said: “Ryan (Moore) said he took plenty of pulling up after the Derby and there was an endless amount in there.

“He has all the options, Ryan and I will talk with the lads and they will make the decision.”

The colt is then likely to be trained towards the Grade 1 Travers Stakes on dirt at Saratoga in New York in August, with the race likely to set up a crack at the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The feature race at the Breeders’ Cup, which will be run at Del Mar this year on November, has long been the holy grail for Coolmore.

They have come close to winning it in the past, with Giant’s Causeway finishing an agonising second in 2000 and Declaration Of War a close third in 2013, but they reckon this horse is the chosen one, given his American pedigree.