The Coral Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs featured a thrilling clash between underdog Pyledriver and rising star Al Aasy for the Group 1 event. Pyledriver, a horse that couldn’t be sold for £10,000 (about $12,000) two years ago, ended up winning the war for trainer William Muir in the end; with a time of 2:42.23.
He showed amazing heart to knuckle down and deny Al Aasy at the wire after losing the lead with two furlongs to go. In the last stages, the William Haggas’ runner appeared to have done enough but was denied victory. Pyledriver was content in midfield at the early stages, but the race began to take shape they approached the turn, and Martyn Dwyer aboard Pyledriver took the lead down the straight.
At three furlongs out, he had all of his rivals beat, with the exception of the closing Al Aasy. Welcome cheers rang around Epsom, and nobody was more delighted than jockey Martyn Dwyer, who said after the race: “I’m so proud of the horse. On a personal level, there are times when I’ve hated racing. But days like this I can’t describe in words.”
Coral Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse event held in the Great Britain for horses aged four and higher. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs, and 6 yards at Epsom Downs (2,420 metres).
The race was founded in 1902 to honor the coronation of King Edward VII, a new British king. Epsom had previously hosted a similar race, the Epsom Gold Cup, which was available to horses aged three and up. During World War I, the Coral Coronation Cup was briefly relocated to Newmarket (1915–16, 1943–45) and Newbury (1915–16, 1943–45). (1941).
The race is held on the same day as the Epsom Oaks. Also, it is run over the same distance as the Oaks and the Epsom Derby. And it frequently contains horses that have already raced in both races.
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