'We couldn't be happier' - Kyprios just does enough as the 1-12 favourite as he continues on the road to the Gold Cup

Kyprios was left unchanged as the 5-4 market leader for the Ascot Gold Cup by Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power after the 2022 winner claimed his second Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes in workmanlike fashion.

The only ride at the meeting for Ryan Moore, hotfooting it from York, the son of Galileo tracked the leaders before taking it up from his front-running stable companion Queenstown over a furlong out. He just had to be pushed out from there to score by an idling length, with last year's winner Yashin a length and three quarters away in third. 

It was a repeat dose from Kyprios, who beat the same rivals into the placings in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan last month.

The historical omens are good too. After a heavily disrupted 2023 campaign, this year's schedule has so far matched his brilliant year of 2022, which continued to Ascot and was the first of four Group 1 successes that year. 

O'Brien said: "He's such a lovely horse. When he gets there he just pulls himself up but Ryan was very happy with him. Ryan thinks he has plenty of speed left, but he's just lazy. The plan was to have the two runs and go to Ascot and it's working so far.

"It is amazing the way he has come back this year and it is great to have him back. He just has a lovely, relaxed way of doing it. Ryan thought he had the race won at the two furlong pole but he was just pulling up, but that has always been his way. I remember running him as a two-year-old at Newmarket in the Zetland Stakes. He did the very same back then. All roads lead to Ascot now, that's the plan."

Gold Cup (4.25 Royal Ascot, Thursday, June 20)
Paddy Power: 5-4 Kyprios, 7 Courage Mon Ami, 8 Gregory, Vauban, 10 Continuous, 14 Coltrane, 16 Caius Chorister, Trawlerman, 20 Absurde, Point Lonsdale, 25 Double Major, Tower Of London, Trueshan, Queenstown, 33 bar

Read these next:

'He made them look slow' - Giavellotto emulates staying greats with another impressive Yorkshire Cup win 

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.