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Options Open For Pyledriver

Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) might defend his G1 Coronation Cup crown later this spring. The 5-year-old has exited his fourth-place finish in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in good order, according to co-trainer William Muir, who holds the license with Chris Grassick. Owned by the La Pyle Partnership, the entire won the Listed Churchill S. at Lingfield last November and was a very good second in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin on Dec. 12. In the G3 Neom Turf Cup on Feb. 26, Pyledriver could not overcome a wide draw and ran 11th.

“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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Pyledriver On Track For Hong Kong Bid

Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) will return in the Betway Churchill S. at Lingfield next weekend before an intended start in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase in December. The 4-year-old, who claimed the G2 King Edward VII S. and G2 Great Voltigeur S. at three, had an abbreviated two-start campaign this season. Second by 2 1/4 length in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket making his 4-year-old bow, Pyledriver clawed his way to a neck victory in Epsom's G1 Coronation Cup over Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on June 4. He was due to run in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern on Sunday, but co-trainer William Muir opted for the Lingfield contest instead. After his Asian target, the entire will be aimed at the Saudi Cup meeting at the end of February prior to a Dubai campaign.

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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Coronation Cup Glory For Pyledriver

Only 11th behind Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last year's G1 Epsom Derby, Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) put that sour experience firmly behind him on Friday when returning to register a career-best success in the G1 Coral Coronation Cup. Showing his class when successful in the G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot and the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at York last term, the bay who races for the new William Muir-Chris Grassick training partnership had been sharpened by his seasonal debut when runner-up in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket May 1 and tracked the leader Highland Chief (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in second throughout the early stages. Committed on the front before the run downhill into the home straight, the 8-1 chance was headed by the 7-4 favourite Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) approaching the furlong pole and looked held but battled against the fence to regain the advantage in the final 50 yards. Sticking to his guns in a thrilling finale at the rain-hit track, he denied the Shadwell representative by a neck, with Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) beaten seven lengths in third. “It's great for everyone, the whole team, but on a personal level I can't describe way I'm feeling,” commented winning jockey Martin Dwyer, who was completing a trio of this venue's group 1 races having won the Oaks in 2003 and Derby in 2006. “I've got to say, there were times I have hated racing and driven home in a bad mood, but days like this make it worth it. This is a great sport and you can achieve great things, but it's been a long time between drinks for me and it's hard to get on horses as good as this. It's also hard to stay on them, with people criticising you on the outside, so I have to thank William [Muir] and the owners for sticking by me.”

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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St Leger Gains Pyledriver, Hukum Also Possible

MGSW Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), who won the G2 Great Voltigeur S. on Aug. 19, has been confirmed for the G1 St Leger at Doncaster on Sept. 12, Racing Post reported on Sunday. Trainer William Muir confirmed the news, with the G1 Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp, also on Sept. 12, off the table.

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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