Kyprios on course for Ascot Gold run

Stayer ready for Royal meeting challenge.

The Moyglare Stud team are excited to see Kyprios bid for Gold Cup glory at Royal Ascot next month.

Having been off the track since suffering injury before the Queen’s Vase at the Royal meeting last year, the Galileo colt made a successful return to action when seeing off his full-sister Search For A Song – a dual winner of the Irish St Leger – in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan in April.

Kyprios, who is trained by Aidan O’Brien and jointly-owned by Moyglare and Coolmore’s John Magnier and Michael Tabor, further enhanced his Gold Cup claims with a wide-margin victory in the Saval Beg at Leopardstown and connections are looking forward to the big day.

“He misbehaved at Ascot last year. He didn’t break anything, but he was very sore. He was a very buzzy sort, but he’s changed,” said Moyglare’s Fiona Craig.

“He won in a really good time at Leopardstown, Ascot is the plan for him I think and we’ll see what happens on the day.”

Kyprios is a best priced 4-1 for the Gold Cup with bet365, slotting him in as their second-favourite between Trueshan and triple Gold Cup winner Stradivarius.

Having seen the remarkable Stradivarius prove he is no back number when beating Search For A Song in the Yorkshire Cup last week, Craig admits he is a formidable obstacle for Kyprios to overcome.

Kyprios did everything asked of him at Leopardstown
Kyprios did everything asked of him at Leopardstown (PA)

She added: “Hats off to John Gosden – that is some training feat with a horse like him (Stradivarius). He reminded me now of what Yeats looked like as as an eight-year-old – a bit sort of stud-type horse.

“When he was walking round the paddock I was impressed with him, but I was thinking ‘I wonder how fit he is?’ – then we found out!

“The Gold Cup should be a very good race, particularly if they get the usual ground as I think Stradivarius will fly then. How a horse of that size and substance can love that fast ground, it’s hard to believe, but that’s what he wants.

“I think Aidan wants to go there with Kyprios and we don’t get too involved with where he’s going.”

The Moyglare camp have plenty to look forward to in advance of the Royal meeting, with Homeless Songs on course for this weekend’s Irish 1,000 Guineas and Thoughts Of June bound for the Cazoo Oaks in little over a fortnight’s time.

The latter earned her ticket to Epsom by winning the Cheshire Oaks on her latest appearance and is widely available to back at 16-1.

Craig said: “It’s interesting as we’ve got horses scattered all over the place and we’ve got an interesting few weeks coming up.

“As long as they all stay healthy and sound, then there are races to be won with them. They may not all be Group One horses, but there are races to be won with them.

“Aidan has got a group of them going for the Oaks, but he said to me Thoughts Of June is towards the top of that group, so we’ll see.”

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