City Of Troy is favourite to claim the English 2000 Guineas while Sierra Leone has his sights on the Kentucky Derby

Racing leaders Coolmore are chasing two of the most important three-year-old races in the world with boom colts City Of Troy at Newmarket and Sierra Leone in Kentucky.

Sierra Leone tunes up for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs this weekend. Picture: Getty Images

Coolmore, the global racing superpower, has a very real opportunity to win two of the most prestigious three-year-old classics in the northern hemisphere this weekend.

At England’s Newmarket racecourse on Saturday night (AEST) Coolmore’s sensational City Of Troy is a dominant $1.60 favourite for the Group 1 English 2000 Guineas (1600m).

Then on Sunday morning at America’s Churchill Downs, the boom colt Sierra Leone challenging for favouritism at $4 (behind Fierceness at $3.50) for the Group 1 Kentucky Derby (2000m).

Tom Magnier, the Coolmore Australia supremo, said reports from both stables suggest City Of Troy and Sierra Leone are ready for their feature race classic bids.

Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier said both City Of Troy and Sierre Leone are ready for respective assignments.

“Both have massive chances, I wouldn’t be trading them for any others in their races, but they will need some luck,’’ Magnier said.

City Of Troy, trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien, is unbeaten in three starts and is rated by some as “the next Frankel”.

“Everything is going really well with him,’’ O’Brien said recently. “We are particularly happy with how well he has wintered.’’

“We’ll play it race-by-race, but you’d have to be made of stone not to be dreaming of the (Epsom) Derby if all goes to plan at Newmarket.

“We have an unbelievable group of three-year-olds this year but he has always been the leader. Horses like him are very rare.’’

Coolmore-based stallions have sired Kentucky Derby winners but the racing and breeding giant has never owned the winner of America’s great race.

Their colt, Sierra Leone, winner of three of his four starts, is trained by Chad Brown who is also chasing a breakthrough win in the Kentucky Derby.

“You bring a horse in here nearly undefeated and coming off the best race of his life, he just seems to have all the tools to go a mile and a quarter. We feel like we have a big chance,’’ Brown said.

Originally published as City Of Troy is favourite to claim the English 2000 Guineas while Sierra Leone has his sights on the Kentucky Derby