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Martin Dwyer hoping Pyledriver can give him a second Hong Kong Vase Victory at Sha Tin on Sunday

Jockey Martin Dwyer has fond memories of a career highlight, when the Andrew Balding-trained Phoenix Reach earned him a first Hong Kong Vase success in 2004.

Dwyer has struck up a fruitful partnership with the 2021 Group 1 Coronation Cup winner, who goes into Sunday's contest on the back of last month's win in the Listed Churchill Stakes on Lingfield Park's Polytrack.

"Breaking through on the global stage is a massive moment for any jockey," said Dwyer.

"I'm not one for wild celebrations, but I did wave the whip after passing the post. Frankie (Dettori) came across to congratulate me and I just remember the whole trip as a mind-blowing experience."

Now Pyledriver is the apple not just of Dwyer's eye but of all the team at the stable of William Muir and Chris Grassick.

"The first day I really knew we had something special was when he quickened so impressively to win the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer," said Dwyer.

"We put a line through his run in a very messy Derby, but he destroyed his rivals under a penalty in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York and he's come back in great heart this year to win the Coronation Cup at Epsom and the Churchill Stakes at Lingfield last month.

"Of course, it was a blow that Pyledriver missed the summer with a muscle problem, but sometimes things happen for a reason and maybe the best is yet to come."

Pyledriver lines up this weekend as the highest-rated horse in the field with an international rating of 121 and has beaten last year's Vase hero Mogul in three of their four meetings, including the Coronation Cup.

"He's like a schoolboy in class who has all the talent in the world but can look out of the window if he loses concentration," Dwyer went on.

"There's no way he would let me put his bridle on in a morning – and his groom Babu has plenty of bumps and bruises because of him – but that's just Pyledriver. He knows how much talent he's got and isn't afraid to tell you.

"This might be the last time I get to ride in an Hong Kong international race. I hope it isn't but you never know and that's why this chance has to be grabbed with both hands."

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