“Pyledriver is the best horse I've ever had anything to do with and gave us so many fantastic days,” said co-trainer William Muir. “From day one he never let us down; brilliant temperament, went on any ground, clean winded and super sound. The only issue he ever had was caused by another horse leaning on him in that race in Saudi. It'll be a very sad day when he leaves the yard but I think he'll continue to excel in his new career.”

Bred by Knox and Wells, Ltd., he was a 10,000gns buy-back at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foal Sale and went into training with Muir and Chris Grassick in the colours of the La Pyle Partnership. A debut winner as a juvenile at Salisbury in 2019, he earned a listed victory later that year. Pyledriver then was second in the G3 Classic Trial and won the G2 Great Voltigeur prior to a run in the G1 Derby. He bounced back later that year to take the G2 King Edward VII S. and was also Classic-placed when third in the G1 St Leger.

Never worse than second in four 4-year-old starts, Pyledriver won the Coronation Cup after running second in the G2 Jockey Club S., and later in the year was second by just a length in the G1 Hong Kong Vase.

After a trip to Saudi Arabia and a fourth in Meydan's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic to kickstart his 5-year-old campaign, he was second defending his Coronation Cup crown prior to trouncing a quality field in the King George. This term, he won the G2 Hardwicke S. in good style at Royal Ascot and was fifth in another King George. His record stands at 20-8-4-1 and $2,606,075 in earnings.

“Pyledriver is a fine big horse, with plenty of quality about him, a great colour and a very good walk,” said Robert McCarthy who went to inspect him. “He was a terrific racehorse and he's a complete outcross for the majority of National Hunt mares here in Ireland.”

Pyledriver is the first foal out of the dual winner La Pyle, herself a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}) and a full-sister to G3 Park Express S. heroine Normandel (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

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The 5-year-old entire took the G1 Coronation Cup last year, and was fourth in the Sheema Classic this March. Second in defence of his Coronation Cup back at Epsom in June, he was last seen taking the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. by 2 3/4 lengths at Ascot on July 23.

Injury ruled out the bay from contesting the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, as well as trips to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and the Longines Hong Kong International Races in October, November and December, respectively.

Muir said, “He's back on track now and we're starting to get him ready for his Sheema Classic run. He started cantering back last week, he's moving beautifully and looks a million dollars.

“It's quite exciting to see him back up on the gallop as you know you've got another good one out there. He looks fantastic.

“I was gutted to miss those big races, but we had to do what was right for him and in the end we found he had something deep seated in his foot, which has now come out and everything is fine.”

Dubai will likely not be Pyledriver's 6-year-old bow, as Muir and Grassick are mulling starts over the all-weather.

“There's a possibility we could run in the Winter Derby Trial or the Winter Derby, depending how he comes,” Muir added. “I wouldn't set that in stone, but it's in the back of my mind.

“I know the Lingfield races are a mile and a quarter, but if he ran in one of those it wouldn't be the be all and end all–it would be more of a prep run before he goes to Dubai.”

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PYLEDRIVER wins the 2022 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes! pic.twitter.com/7eSRfn8jJA

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) July 23, 2022

Back on Dubai World Cup night, a King George win for Pyledriver would not have looked as much of a surprise as it did on Saturday afternoon, with Frankie Dettori locked up on the rail until too late in the G1 Dubawi Sheema Classic. Only fourth but widely considered unlucky not to win there, he looked to have a Coronation Cup repeat in the bag until Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) intervened and he ended up soundly beaten there ridden from the front by Dettori. This was a return to his previous best when upstaging Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) at Epsom last June and when second in the G1 Hong Kong Vase during a light 2021 campaign. Willie Muir had stated after his G2 King Edward VII S. and G2 Great Voltigeur S. successes at three that he would win one of these “big ones” and while the team at Linkslade Stables have had to be patient, it finally paid off in spades in one of the very biggest.

Westover's race may well have been run before he left the paddock, having got noticeably warm, while Emily Upjohn refused to settle beyond halfway and Mishriff did his now-familiar trick of handing his rivals a few lengths headstart with another tardy break. Pyledriver was the spriteliest away, but P J McDonald was keen to wait on the Irish Derby winner and Broome to come forward and provide him with a lead that the latest Epsom experience proved is vital. Torquator Tasso was the only other rival running his race in behind, but as Colin Keane started to give out the warning signals on Westover turning for home the German raider was too far out of his ground to make a serious impact on the eventual winner. Killing the race with a swift sectional from the two to the one, Pyledriver even had the energy to swerve from the whip close home as he had done when third in the St Leger.

“Today, we smashed them to pieces,” Muir added. “I actually wrote the papers for you boys tomorrow. I said 'If Pyledriver wins, the line is a poor bunch of three-year-olds again. If the three-year-olds win, a great crop'. They are a great crop, the three-year-olds. He is just a very, very talented horse and I've never lost faith in him. In our second or third year, we had a horse who came here and won a five-furlong race and we were partying in the car park for ages. When Pyledriver won the King Edward VII a couple of years ago, we would still be in the car park today if we'd been able to but we couldn't because of Covid. This is a big, big moment. It means the world to me.”

P J McDonald was quick to point to the 5-year-old's currently-sidelined regular rider Martin Dwyer. “I feel so sorry for Martin, these horses are so hard to come by,” he said. “It happened to me getting injured when I had Laurens and I know what it feels like and what will be going through his head. He's an absolute gent and so supportive of me. He's helped me out so much over the last week. For me, these are days you don't think are going to happen. You work hard and sometimes think these chances aren't going to come and this one came to me by luck. I'm so grateful to the William and the team and to this horse. That was as smooth as it can be. The horse filled himself up going up the hill before the turn in and I just sat on him and I knew he was going to take some beating soon after. He was amazing.”

Pyledriver may have been unsold at 10,000gns at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, but he is the first foal out of a well-connected mare in La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the G3 Park Express S. winner Normandel (Fr) and a half to the G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}). She is also kin to Lillebonne (Fr) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), the dam of the Listed El Gran Senor S. winner and G2 Kilboy Estate S. runner-up Seisai (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), the Listed Glencairn S. winner Maganimous (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), the G3 Irish St Leger Trial-placed Micro Manage (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and the promising recent Leopardstown maiden winner Thornbrook (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). La Pyle, whose unraced 2-year-old filly Shagpyle (GB) is by Frankel (GB), is a granddaughter of Lidakiya (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) who produced the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and G1 Premio Vittorio di Capua-winning sire Linngari (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and is kin to the triple listed scorer and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup runner-up Livadiya (Ire) (Shernazar {Ire}).

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH QIPCO S.-G1, £1,250,000, Ascot, 7-23, 3yo/up, 11f 211yT, 2:29.49, g/f.
1–PYLEDRIVER (GB), 135, h, 5, by Harbour Watch (Ire)
     1st Dam: La Pyle (Fr), by Le Havre (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Lidana (Ire), by King's Best
     3rd Dam: Lidakiya (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
(10,000gns RNA Wlg '17 TATFOA). O-La Pyle Partnership; B-Knox & Wells Limited & R Devlin (GB); T-William Muir & Chris Grassick; J-P J McDonald. £708,875. Lifetime Record: Ch. Older Horse-Eng at 11-14f, G1SP-HK, 18-7-4-1, $2,382,586. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Torquator Tasso (Ger), 135, h, 5, Adlerflug (Ger)–Tijuana (Ger), by Toylsome (GB). (€24,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO). O-Gestut Auenquelle; B-P H Vandeberg (GER); T-Marcel Weiss. £268,750.
3–Mishriff (Ire), 135, h, 5, Make Believe (GB)–Contradict (GB), by Raven's Pass. O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Limited (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £134,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 8, 1 1/4. Odds: 18.00, 16.00, 2.50.
Also Ran: Broome (Ire), Westover (GB), Emily Upjohn (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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“He's in really good shape, I took him to Newbury on Sunday, he went round and worked well and just because I know where he is and I know what he does, that's why I'm really excited, not because he broke any land-speed world records,” said Muir. “I was delighted with it because he has had a break and he has come back and just shown he is exactly where he was before his other races all through the winter.

“He's looked great out the past few days and we now have to just get through the next two weeks and we will be in with a great chance. Things can change with racehorses day by day, but at this present stage he's in good form. He just did what I wanted to see, like out in Dubai and Hong Kong, he just seems to be in that sort of place.”

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“Obviously, whatever happened on Saturday, we were delighted we finished a length behind the winner [Shahryar (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}],” said Muir. “Frankie [Dettori] 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'.

“In Saudi Arabia we were drawn 14 and had no chance.

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

“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.”

Another crack at the Hong Kong Vase in December is also in play, as is the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. on July 23.

Added Muir, “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?'.

“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.”

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Muir said, “We decided after Martin [Dwyer] rode him on Tuesday not to go to Germany. Martin asked what our target was–I told him the Hong Kong Vase, and he said that he'd run well in Germany but he'd come on for the run.

“The train we'd planned to take was cancelled, so we'd have to have gone via ferry and we thought we'd go to Lingfield on Saturday instead. While that is not his ideal trip [10 furlongs], we'll use it as a prep for Hong Kong.

“It's the sort of thing the big trainers do quite often, run them over a trip short of their best so it doesn't push them as much. He'll give everything, as he always does, but Martin felt a run would put him spot on–and he said he's never felt as strong.

“It was only a minor setback he had–we went through the exact programme the vet said, and we've not had a hiccup or anything. But our main target had to be the Hong Kong Vase, and then his winter campaign starts, Saudi in February and then Dubai–three very big races.”

He added, “To have started off throwing him straight back into a Group 1 may have been tough on him. I was also worried about the ground, but in fairness it's good out there. I think he'd have gone close if we'd gone, but Martin just felt he'd come on for a run.

“He's won a Group 1. He's going to be a horse to campaign all around the world now. Had it been a week later, I might have gone to Germany, but I'm looking forward to Lingfield now.”

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Putting in his best juvenile form on soft ground when successful in the Listed Ascendant S. over a mile at Haydock in September 2019, Pyledriver returned last year to be second in the re-routed G3 Classic Trial over a mile and a quarter on Kempton's Polytrack in early June taking the King Edward VII over this trip at Royal Ascot. After his luckless trip in the Derby, he defied a three-pound penalty in style in the Great Voltigeur before finishing third in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster in September and seventh in the G1 Qipco Champion S. at Ascot in October. Showing a tendency to veer away from the whip on more than one occasion, he was hard against the rail from six out following Dwyer's bold manoeuvre and may have been helped by Al Aasy pinning him down against the fence in the closing stages. His jockey thinks so. “With the rail out [to save ground for Derby day], we were actually racing on the steepest part of the camber and so I was conscious to get to the rail,” he explained. “Jim [Crowley] growls in a finish and gave me no room whatsoever, so it was a real ding-dong battle and I have to say my horse was very brave and pulled out all stops. The first two were a long way in front of two very good horses. All the good horses are in the hands of a very few trainers now and I think that is why people like to see horses like this fella and his sporting owners as the underdog having a go on the big day and achieving something.”

“He's been frustrating at times, but he has tons of ability and was just too fresh and keen at Newmarket and got tired,” Dwyer, who at 46 was continuing the trend of older jockeys winning at the top level so far in this country in 2021. “I struggled with him there, as he was like a bottle of coke that had been shook up but today he was different class and that's all down to the team. We had decided to give him his head this time and let him bowl along and he relaxed so I tried to control the race from second place. Last time we came here, we got flattened at the top of the hill and it was game over but when you get a horse that travels as well as him it's ideal around here. I was able to give him a nice breather and save petrol in case he got into a real scrap, which he did in the end. He'd beaten horses who had gone on to win group 1s afterwards and he's mixed it at the top level a few times, so we were always confident he'd win a group 1 himself. Not many trainers drive their own horses to a group 1 in their own horsebox and win it, so all credit to William.”

For Muir, it was a first success at the highest level and he said, “I started training in 1990 and I've got touched off in group ones, with Stepper Point in two of them and also Averti got beaten in a photo in the Prix de l'Abbaye–this is what we do it for,” he said. “Chris Grassick has only been at the job five minutes and he's got a group one winner! I came here thinking he'd win. I had a meeting yesterday with the owners at a service station and we decided we were going to make the running and change the bridle. When he went to Newmarket, I was in no place to say he was 100 per cent, as today was the day and he was very brave. If you watch it from the outside people ask 'why does he wander, why does he do this and that'. It's just in his make-up, I don't know why he does it, but he is brave.”

Pyledriver's program is set in stone now. “It's mapped out–the Jockey Club Stakes, the Coronation Cup, the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot and then the King George,” Muir added. “I should think we'll look at the Arc later on in the year, if we're allowed to go with Covid and everything.”
Pyledriver is the first foal out of La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the G3 Park Express S. winner Normandel (Fr) and a half to the G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}) and the dam of this week's Listed Glencairn S. winner Maganimous (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and the G3 Irish St Leger Trial-placed Micro Mange (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). The third dam Lidakiya (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) produced the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and G1 Premio Vittorio di Capua-winning sire Linngari (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and is kin to the triple listed scorer and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup runner-up Livadiya (Ire) (Shernazar {Ire}). The dam's as-yet unraced 3-year-old filly by New Approach (Ire) is named Country Pyle (GB), while she also has a 2-year-old colt by Oasis Dream (GB) named Stockpyle (GB) and a yearling filly by Frankel (GB).

Friday, Epsom Downs, Britain
CORAL CORONATION CUP-G1, £330,000, Epsom, 6-4, 4yo/up, 12f 6yT, 2:42.23, g/s.
1–PYLEDRIVER (GB), 126, c, 4, by Harbour Watch (Ire)
1st Dam: La Pyle (Fr), by Le Havre (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lidana (Ire), by King's Best
3rd Dam: Lidakiya (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (10,000gns RNA Wlg '17 TATFOA). O-La Pyle Partnership; B-Knox & Wells Limited & R Devlin (GB); T-William Muir & Chris Grassick; J-Martin Dwyer. £187,143. Lifetime Record: 12-5-2-1, $514,200. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Al Aasy (Ire), 126, c, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Kitcara (GB), by Shamardal. (300,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd; B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-William Haggas. £70,950.
3–Japan (GB), 126, h, 5, Galileo (Ire)–Shastye (Ire), by Danehill. (1,300,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Masaaki Matsushima, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-Aidan O'Brien. £35,508.
Margins: NK, 7, 1HF. Odds: 8.00, 1.75, 3.33.
Also Ran: Albaflora (GB), Highland Chief (Ire), Mogul (GB). Scratched: Alpinista (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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The La Pyle Partnership, consisting of owner/breeders Roger Devlin and brothers Guy and Hugh Leach, raced Pyledriver to a listed success at two. The colt ran second in the G3 Unibet Classic Trial S. over the Kempton all-weather on June 3, before burnishing his G1 Investec Derby claims with a two-length victory in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot later that month. After a difficult run in the July 4 Derby, Pyledriver sped to a 3 1/2-length score in the Great Voltigeur.

“The plan at the moment is to look at the Leger as long as I’m happy with him-and he looks to be in superb form,” Muir told Racing Post. “He’s in the Grand Prix de Paris, but the Leger is for 3-year-olds only, it’s a Classic and at this stage, that’s where we’re going. The owners said you only get one crack at a Classic and the worst that can happen is that he doesn’t stay, he gets beaten and we put him away for the year.”

Shadwell’s Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who won the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. at Newbury on Aug. 15, is another under consideration for the final Classic of the British season. A winner at second asking at Kempton last November, Hukum took the King George V S. at Royal Ascot on June 17 before his Geoffrey Freer success.

Trainer Owen Burrows said, “Touch wood, he’s come out of the race very well, but nothing has been finalised as to where he’ll go next. He certainly wasn’t stopping at either Ascot or Newbury, so I can’t see the trip being an issue, but I have to keep stressing he shows plenty of pace at home and is not simply a stayer.

“I thought William Muir’s horse was very impressive in the Great Voltigeur, especially with a penalty, but you’d have to say Aidan [O’Brien] appears to hold all the cards with Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) and a few others. But, this year more than any, if you think you might have a horse for it you’ll be tempted to go. We’ll speak to Sheikh Hamdan, but the Leger does look the logical next step.”

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Consistently underestimated throughout his brief career, Pyledriver first came to the fore when winning the Listed Ascendant S. over a mile on soft ground at Haydock in September. Taken into winter quarters following his disappointing effort when last of seven in the G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket later that month, he returned in rude health when second to Berlin Tango (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the re-routed G3 Classic Trial over a mile and a quarter on Kempton’s Polytrack June 3. One of the leading players for the Derby following his impressive win in King Edward VII, he emerged one of the unlucky ones having got no luck in the blue riband but always looked happy in this entirely different test.

Trainer William Muir could have his sights set on the G1 St Leger at Doncaster, but may yet have his head turned where a certain ParisLongchamp feature is concerned. “We are in the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris. The Leger has been on the cards, but people are saying we should now go for the Arc,” he said. “He didn’t look like he was stopping today, but then Martin said today he’s got loads of gears and horses with gears normally don’t just stay and stay. It’s a lovely problem to have–this is where we want to be.”

“It was a good race today and I can understand why Mogul was such a short price and we were such a big price, but if we’d had a clear run in the Derby we’d have finished in front of him,” he added. “Our race was gone after three furlongs. He’s a big, unfurnished horse, but he’s getting there. He’s so easy to do anything with and he thinks life’s great.”

Oliver Cole said of Highland Chief, “I think the ground was okay for him, we were hoping for softer ground which is what he won on at Ascot. It’s a difficult race to read, he’s beaten Mogul. I think he’s got a better turn of foot than he showed there, but he didn’t quicken as well as I expected him to. We could think about the St Leger, but it could depend if the winner goes there! Maybe, we’ll have to have a think, but he’s run his heart out.”

Pyledriver is the first foal out of a full-sister to the G3 Park Express S. winner Normandel (Fr) and a half to Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), who caused an upset in the 2016 Grand Prix de Paris. Another half-sibling Lillebonne (Fr) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) produced the smart Micro Manage (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), who was third in last week’s G3 Irish St Leger Trial. The third dam is Lidakiya (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), who was responsible for Linngari (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) who captured the G1 Premio Vittorio di Capua and G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis. The dam’s 2-year-old filly Country Pyle (GB) is by New Approach (Ire), while she also has a yearling colt by Oasis Dream (GB) and a foal daughter of Frankel (GB).

Wednesday, York, Britain
SKY BET GREAT VOLTIGEUR S.-G2, £75,000, York, 8-19, 3yo, c/g, 11f 188yT, 2:30.57, gd.
1–PYLEDRIVER (GB), 129, c, 3, by Harbour Watch (Ire)
1st Dam: La Pyle (Fr), by Le Havre (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lidana (Ire), by King’s Best
3rd Dam: Lidakiya (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
(10,000gns RNA Wlg ’17 TATFOA). O-La Pyle Partnership; B-Knox & Wells Ltd & R Devlin (GB); T-William Muir; J-Martin Dwyer. £42,533. Lifetime Record: 8-4-1-0, $175,261. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Highland Chief (Ire), 126, c, 3, Gleneagles (Ire)–Pink Symphony (GB), by Montjeu (Ire). O/B-Mrs Fitri Hay (IRE); T-Paul & Oliver Cole. £16,125.
3–Mogul (GB), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Shastye (Ire), by Danehill. (3,400,000gns Ylg ’18 TATOCT). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-Aidan O’Brien. £8,070.
Margins: 3HF, HF, HD. Odds: 10.00, 11.00, 2.13.
Also Ran: Berkshire Rocco (Fr), Darain (GB), Roberto Escobarr (Ire), Subjectivist (GB), Juan Elcano (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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“Once he got knocked over that was our race gone,” said Muir. “It happened when they cross from one side of the track to the other. He ended up being the meat in sandwich and was spat out the back. That was our race over.

“He did very well to stay on the way he did. He’s come out of it very well, but he didn’t really have a race. It was one of those things. That’s racing, that’s what happened, and you have to be philosophical and go forward. He didn’t get injured–and that’s the main thing, the luckiest thing.”

Muir is sticking to his original plan to give Pyledriver a break, after taking him from last month’s G2 King Edward VII S.–in which he gave the Lambourn trainer his first Royal Ascot success–on to the Derby.

“I said I was going to give him a little bit of time, and I am,” he said. “Once I’ve done that, and he’s freshened up, he’ll probably go for a Group 1 in Germany, the Preis von Europa. We ran Enforcer (GB) (Efisio {GB}) in that years ago (2006), and he was third.

“The horse is fine. He had a canter round on Tuesday. He’s 100%, no problems whatsoever. We’ll look to go to Cologne, unless something pops up elsewhere. I’m convinced after Saturday if he hadn’t got hampered, he’d have finished very much closer– but we wouldn’t have beaten the winner.”

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