Having made no secret of how highly they rate City Of Troy, connections are desperate for him to end his racing career by winning the Classic.
While O’Brien has won 18 Breeders’ Cup races during his illustrious training career, a coveted victory in the Classic has eluded him.
He has had three runners finish placed in 17 previous attempts, but believes City Of Troy has the ability to end his frustrating barren streak.
His bullishness is rooted in the horse’s pedigree, with his sire Justify famously winning the 2018 Triple Crown in North America.
City Of Troy looked at home on an artificial surface during a recent prep run at Southwell, and O’Brien is confident he will be equally effective on dirt.
"Every stone we can look under, we have," O'Brien said. "Every day is a learning curve but we think we've covered every angle we can and we've slowly built him up.
"We don't have the dirt here but all the other stuff, we've prepared for. We never expect anything in any race, we'll just do our best.
“We always think the most important thing is ability and we think he's exceptional in that department."
The biggest threat to City Of Troy could be Fierceness, who is rated as a 4/1 shot by several leading betting apps in the United Kingdom.
He won the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on his most recent outing and has since caught the eye with an impressive workout at the same venue.
Trainer Todd Pletcher won the Classic with Vino Rosso in 2019 and believes Fierceness has an excellent chance of claiming victory at Del Mar.
