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Aidan O'Brien reported that City Of Troy has "made good physical progress" over the winter months as he heads into the 2024 flat season as one of the most exciting prospects racing has seen in recent decades.

City Of Troy completed a sensational unbeaten three-race campaign as a juvenile last season, culminating with a spine-tingling success in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket, a performance that helped him become the 13th European Champion Juvenile trained by Aidan O'Brien yesterday.

O'Brien was quick to make some staggering statements in the aftermath of his Dewhurst success, labelling City Of Troy as "the best two-year-old we've trained", while part-owner Michael Tabor described the hugely exciting colt as "our Frankel".

A step up in trip now beckons for the Classic hopeful, a prospect that O'Brien is relishing as he heads into the 2024 season a best-priced even money for the 2000 Guineas on Newmarket's Rowley Mile.

He said: "He looks very exciting, obviously, and he looks like he'll have no problem going up in distance,"

"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.

The O'Brien-trained Classic contender ranked second only to Johannesburg, who won four times at the top level as a juvenile – among O'Brien's 13 champion two-year-olds to date with a rating of 125 following the unveiling of the European classifications.

"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."

The maestro of Ballydoyle was also keen to float the idea of running his star juvenile, who is by American Triple Crown hero Justify, on the dirt.

He added: "We will definitely consider taking the Justify's 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,"

"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's stablemate Henry Longfellow also finished his juvenile campaign unbeaten and filled the third spot in the rankings with an official rating falling 6lb short of that of the former.

O'Brien said: "We always thought they were two very good colts, but we never put them together,"

"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 Ballydoyle handler also provided a positive update on his leading two-year-old filly for 2023, Opera Singer, who created a taking impression when landing the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac by five lengths on Arc Day last season.

"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."

"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 are 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."