“He's in really good shape, I took him to Newbury on Sunday, he went round and worked well and just because I know where he is and I know what he does, that's why I'm really excited, not because he broke any land-speed world records,” said Muir. “I was delighted with it because he has had a break and he has come back and just shown he is exactly where he was before his other races all through the winter.

“He's looked great out the past few days and we now have to just get through the next two weeks and we will be in with a great chance. Things can change with racehorses day by day, but at this present stage he's in good form. He just did what I wanted to see, like out in Dubai and Hong Kong, he just seems to be in that sort of place.”

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“Everything's on the table,” Muir said. “He's definitely going to have a winter campaign and it's going to end up at the Sheema Classic before he comes home to have a little bit of a break. Let's keep our fingers crossed, we all know sport is a cruel thing at times but he loved it [on Sunday]. He's taken it in his stride.

“If it does happen to be the Saudi Cup [next] that will give him a couple of months. He's got plenty of time to freshen up for it so he should be spot on, then the Sheema Classic would be the big target after that. He'll come back and have a little break before we get him ready for the King George or the Juddmonte, one of those two, before the Arc.”

Pyledriver was beaten only by the defending winner Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who also won the race two years ago, in the Vase.

“My initial thought when they turned for home was that the French filly [Ebaiyra, third] was travelling very strongly, and then I saw her come off the bridle,” said Muir. “We were in a very difficult spot to see clearly what was happening. Obviously we were in their country with Covid [restrictions] and we were given areas that we were allowed in. I didn't see the other horse coming down the outside and inside the final furlong I thought 'we've done it!' Then the horse came over the top and your first thought is 'ah sugar, we just got beat!' But then you're so, so proud.”

Raced by the La Pyle partnership, Pyledriver won the G1 Coronation Cup in June but was forced to miss the rest of the summer with a setback. He returned a winner in Lingfield's Listed Churchill S. on Nov. 13 prior to his Hong Kong sojourn.

“We were absolutely delighted and very proud, we have been from the day at Salisbury [his debut] because he never, ever lets you down,” Muir said.

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“I'll let him tell me when he's ready,” said Muir, who trains with Chris Grassick. “After York I said I wouldn't set more targets and we'd just go easy for 10 days and trot for a couple of weeks. I'm just going to take my time, it's something minor but I want him to heal properly and not have any scars in his mind.

“He's jumping out of his skin at the moment, he's so fresh and well. I would say the first race we could think about looking at is on Nov. 7 which is the last Group 1 in Europe.”

A winner of the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot in 2020, Pyledriver put an 11th-place run in the G1 Derby firmly in the rearview with a win in York's G2 Great Voltigeur S. last August. Third in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster on Sept. 12 and seventh in the G1 Champion S., he was second in the G2 Jockey Club S. on May 1 in his first start of 2021.

Muir added of the La Pyle Partnership runner, “I'm not saying we are definitely going, but it's something we could look at before he went to Hong Kong. I just want to give him all the time he needs because we could start him back and if he was still feeling it he would accommodate for it and pick up a problem somewhere else.

“Basically he's in wonderful form, he's like a raging bull, but we're tip-toeing along. He's had his break and then we can see where we go.”

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