Pyledriver Looks for Coronation Cup Repeat

This season's Coronation Cup (G1) might lack a superstar in the mold of Ghaiyyath , Cirrus des Aigles , or St Nicholas Abbey , but can still be considered a relatively strong running despite its lowly six-runner turnout. 

Showers in Surrey earlier in the week raised the possibility of a soft-ground Epsom card and that would have aided the claims of 14-furlong winners Manobo  and Hukum , but the rain has subsided and the surface is drying out by the hour.

Pyledriver  triumphed over Al Aasy  in last season's Coronation Cup and stands out having achieved that feat on three occasions—twice more than High Definition  and Hukum.

William Muir ended a 21-year wait for a first group 1 win when Pyledriver drove through the rain in the 2021 Coronation Cup and the Lambourn trainer appears confident his stable star can pull off a repeat.

Muir, who trains in partnership with Chris Grassick, has been delighted with how Pyledriver has trained since an unlucky fourth in the Sheema Classic in March and heads to Epsom with little to fear. 

"Pyledriver has been an unbelievable horse," said Muir. "I've never had a horse who can just go and do what he does. You declare him and you don't care if it rains or if it doesn't rain, you haven't got to worry about the ground.

"I've been doing this a long time now and don't take anything for granted. People have seen that he's got the talent and rightly so he's at the top of the market, but that doesn't mean you go there and it's a walk in the park.

"He did his last canter on Friday and was very fresh and well. He's as strong as he's ever been in his life and you can ride him any way you like. He's so uncomplicated."

Beyond Epsom, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes (G1) at Ascot, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) at ParisLongchamp, and potential trips to the Breeders' Cup and Hong Kong at the end of the year await Pyledriver, who is taking Muir, Grassick, and owners the La Pyle Partnership on a dream journey. 

"We've had a lot of good horses over the years and he's probably the best," added Muir. "It's all been made possible because the owners have kept saying no to all the offers they've had for him. It's very exciting."

The Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) at Meydan in March won by Japanese raider and Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1)-bound Shahryar  was undoubtedly the strongest mile-and-a-half race we have seen so far this year and can act as pointer to the Coronation Cup.

Pyledriver shaped better than his fourth-placed finish and a length defeat suggested he was short of room hugging the rail inside the final furlong under Dettori. He holds Hukum (seventh) by three-quarters of a length on that form and there is no logical reason for placings to be reversed at Epsom on this ground. 

Living Legend  appears to have been underestimated in the early betting on a line through Yibir , who was a staying-on second in the Sheema Classic. 

There is a possibility Yibir simply ran miles below form when turned over by Living Legend at odds of 1-4 in the Betfair Exchange Jockey Club Stakes (G2) in April, but Charlie and Mark Johnston's runner almost certainly improved for the return to a mile and a half.

Indeed, he was crying out for further when repelling Tyrrhenian Sea over a mile and a quarter on All-Weather Finals Day.

Drop in Trip Ideal for Manobo

Manobo looked a potential star when rattling off four straight wins in Europe last year and although he lost his unbeaten record to Japan's Stay Foolish  in the Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors (G2) over two miles in March, connections are excited to be dropping back in trip at Epsom.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Manobo has won races from a mile and a quarter to a mile and six furlongs, on ground ranging from very soft to good, and conditions at Epsom should hold little doubts.

"Manobo looks great and I'm very happy about dropping him back to a mile and a half," said Appleby, looking for his second win in the group 1 after Ghaiyyath scored when the race was run at Newmarket in 2020.  

"He over-raced in the Dubai Gold Cup but I think we clearly saw that two miles is a bit too far for him. We have been very pleased with how he has trained going into this and he looks a major contender based on his best form."