Coronation Cup, Arc and Hong Kong Vase all possibilities for Pyledriver

Pyledriver has plenty of potential Group 1 engagements to look forward to after an encouraging showing in Saturday's Longines Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan.

The five-year-old was shaping well before finding bad luck in running and finishing a reasonable fourth of 15 in Dubai.

"Obviously, whatever happened on Saturday, we were delighted we finished a length behind the winner (Shahryar)," said Muir.

"Frankie said, 'I'm so sorry, I should have won. If I'd have got the split I'd have won. I never got the split, I've had to check his momentum, take him out of his stride and asked him to quicken again - and he did quicken again'. He said, 'You were just unlucky in running and you have got a very, very good horse here'.

"I think he probably shocked Frankie a little bit, because everybody but everybody, when you say the draw in Saudi didn't help us, no-one believes you.

"If you'd have been at Chester and drawn 14 of 14, you'd probably not run, as you'd have no chance.

"In Saudi Arabia we were drawn 14 and had no chance. Authority (who won the valuable Group Three contest) is on the rail and bowling away, and you are five wide. The jockeys are clever jockeys. Christophe (Soumillon) was on our inside and he wasn't going to let us over and come a few steps inside. He'd have said, 'No, I've got my position, you just stay where you are'.

"When that horse came down bedside us (Channel Cat), Martin (Dwyer) said, 'I'll look after him for the next one'.

"The draw was massively against us in Saudi. There was nothing wrong with the horse, he was in perfect shape.

"The draw just gave us no hope, but the best horse doesn't always win, just as in any sport. You don't see the best football team win every time.

"It was just one of those things and on Saturday he ran out of his skin. We thought he would be bang there and we were. We are delighted."

Trips over a mile and a quarter seem to be Pyledriver's best quarry and connections are mapping out his Summer.

The Lambourn handler added: "I don't think different surfaces are a problem to this horse. I think the thing that helped him on Saturday was it was a mile and a half, as I think that is his optimum trip.

"I am not saying he can't win over it, because he has, but when you go back to a mile and a quarter, you are going over a shorter trip, you are stacked out wide and you don't have the time to adjust as you would over a mile and half. We'll just put a line through Saudi.

"The owners, before we went to Dubai, said they would like to work back from Hong Kong, taking in the Arc and let's say the King George, with maybe something in between.

"But I said, 'If he comes back from Dubai and he is jumping and kicking, why don't we try to win the Coronation again?'.

"He has got 10 weeks between now and the Coronation. He will have four weeks just moseying about anyway.

"He has had a couple of months off after Hong Kong and it is not like we have overdone him.

"I went down to the stable yesterday morning. His legs were great, he ate most of his food, he looked fantastic and I spoke to the boys this morning.

"He is on the flight, he has put back on the six kilos he lost in the race, so it is fantastic.

"He was a horse who was always going to get better with age, because all his family does. They just improve and improve.

"When he gets home, I will sit down and get all the races mapped out with the owners.

"Frankie, when he jumped off, said, 'Run him in the King George, because that is your race. You know the track suits him, so run him in the King George'.

"The Coronation and the King George could happen. I was saying we could then miss one if we wanted to go back to Hong Kong.

"We will look at the races where the prize money is. Let's be quite honest, we finished fourth on Saturday night, and we still won more than we would in the Coronation.

"There is lots of stuff to think about."