Pyledriver is firmly on course to bid to defend his title in next Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes at Ascot.
The six-year-old beat Arc winner Torquator Tasso by two-and-three-quarter lengths in 2022, the pair eight lengths clear of Mishriff in third, and was racing for the first time since when winning the Hardwicke Stakes over course-and-distance last month.
Co-trainer William Muir told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “He’s really good and has been absolutely super since his win. He’s improved and fitness-wise we’re where we want to be now. He hasn’t missed a step, and everything has been great.
"It took him a while (to get over the Hardwicke) but we knew it would because he wasn’t 100% fit. We gave him plenty of time to recuperate and he’s absolutely bouncing now and doing everything we’re asking of him."
Muir confirmed that PJ McDonald will again be in the saddle at Ascot for a potential clash with the Derby one-two Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel, plus Coronation Cup heroine Emily Upjohn and Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner Hukum.
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