Friday's G1 Coral Coronation Cup victor Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) will most likely remain on the bench during Royal Ascot and will instead target the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 24. The 4-year-old colt was reported to be in good form, if a bit tired by trainer William Muir.
“It took a bit out of him–he didn't eat brilliant for two nights but he licked up last night,” said Muir. “The first night he normally does leave a bit, but the second night he's normally back on it, so it probably took a little bit out of him.
“He's got a Group 1 now, so let's hope we can keep going. Royal Ascot was going to be the next race. But he's going to need to knock the door down for me to be going there– otherwise we'll wait for the King George.
“If he comes mad fresh by Monday when the confirmation stage is, then I'd think about it. But it was quite a battle on Friday. He might just need longer than two weeks to get back to his best. There's no point going there if we're not over this race.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
