Drawing stall one, in Kieren Fallon's opinion, might not be a problem for top Betfred Derby contender City of Troy, as long as Ryan Moore can occupy a convenient spot.
Fallon was a maestro of the mile-and-a-half course at Epsom, having won four Classic victories in the Oaks and three Derby victories.
Adayar was the only player to score from stall one in the three years that followed, and he achieved one of his blue riband triumphs in 1999 while on board Oath from the inside berth.
Fallon asserted that City of Troy's slot can be overcome on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, saying, “As long as they travel, and Oath travelled. Actually, I was lucky enough that all mine travelled, except maybe Kris Kin, who was lazy and workmanlike. But the most important thing is the first half-mile of the race, not the second half. Because you’re going up a steep hill and you don’t want to use your gas on the way up. And then you’ve got that chicane, the first corner. What you have to be careful of is when the horses are coming back from the far side. When the high numbers start coming across, it is how to judge it, it’s all about the pace, and judging how quick (to go) is very hard, as you are travelling up a hill. There are not many tracks where you can pace yourself going up a hill and that’s the most important thing – getting yourself at the right pace for the first half-mile. Then you can relax into it and then take it from there. It’s simple after that. You have to save ground, you can’t come around the field. I always call it the Lester Piggott route – box seat, in third, fourth or fifth. You can’t be too far back, either. Greville Starkey got slated for Dancing Brave and from riding the race, you know what happened to him. He was riding to get the trip and then he got shuffled back and there’s nothing you can do then. You can’t make a move, because if you do, you’re not going to finish anywhere.”
Big-race jockey Ryan Moore maintained his composure upon learning of the status of last year's champion juvenile City Of Troy, who is being trained by Aidan O'Brien and is currently on a rehabilitation mission following his defeat in the 2000 Guineas.