Tag: P J McDonald

Pyledriver Back With A Win In The Hardwicke

Royal Ascot's G2 Hardwicke S. was missing Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), but it still had Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}–La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and the hero of last year's G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. copied that Shadwell contemporary in overcoming his own lengthy lengthy lay-off on Saturday. Understandably over-racing in the hands of P J McDonald behind the front-running West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) throughout the early stages, the 7-2 shot who had also won the G2 King Edward VII S. in the COVID year of 2020 here loomed wide on the home turn.

In front a furlong out, the Willie Muir and Chris Grassick-trained 6-year-old ducked left and then right away from his rider's whip and caused significant interference to Changingoftheguard in the closing stages as a result. After an inquiry, the result was left as it was, which was Pyledriver 1 1/4 lengths ahead of TDN Rising Star West Wind Blows with Changingoftheguard a length away in fourth.

 

Easy to write off initially due to his modest connections, Pyledriver has made a point throughout his career of defying the doubters, most notably before the King George in the previous year's G1 Coronation Cup. Also successful in the 2020 G2 Great Voltigeur S., he was third going too far in the G1 St Leger where he veered away from Martin Dwyer's whip and was second in the 2021 G1 Hong Kong Vase and an unlucky loser when fourth in last year's G1 Dubai Sheema Classic.

This was a momentous comeback marred only by McDonald's snap decision to use the whip in the closing stages, but an emotional Willie Muir was looking only at the positives. “I know how much this horse will improve. Yes he rolled around, but he was on fumes. I knew he was a class horse and I knew he would be competitive–he never knows when to chuck it in, but I did think match-fitness might catch us out. We will see how he is tonight, tomorrow, the next day, but the King George will be next all being well. This is what we dream to have horses like this. The owners were offered fortunes for him as a 3-year-old and they have been so loyal to the horse.”

McDonald added, “When he hits the front, he always runs around and it just goes to show how much ability he has that he's not concentrating on running in a straight line. I haven't sat on this horse since last year's King George and what a performance to get this fella back today. Today was only ever a starting point moving forward to the King George, so to get the win under his belt is a massive bonus. We have a superstar horse, I just need to keep him in a straight line!”

Ed Crisford said of West Wind Blows, “I think there you can say he definitely stays a mile and a half, because there have always been these question marks but he kept running true to the line there. I would say that's his career-best performance and he really showed himself, up against some of the best horses over this trip.”
Changingoftheguard's trainer Aidan O'Brien said, “He ran very well and we are delighted with his run. We will see how he is–obviously he is entered in the King George and all those races.”

Pedigree Notes
Pyledriver is the first foal out of La Pyle, 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 G2 Debutante S. third Thornbrook (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}).

La Pyle, whose 3-year-old filly Shagpyle (GB) (Frankel {GB}) looks a decent type who won here on debut last month, 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}). La Pyle's yearling filly is by Kingman (GB).

Saturday, Royal Ascot, Britain
HARDWICKE S.-G2, £250,000, Ascot, 6-24, 4yo/up, 11f 211yT, 2:29.60, g/f.
1–PYLEDRIVER (GB), 129, h, 6, 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 & Chris Grassick; J-P J McDonald. £141,775. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng & G1SP-HK, 19-8-4-1, $2,562,866. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–West Wind Blows (Ire), 129, g, 4, Teofilo (Ire)–West Wind (GB), by Machiavellian. O-Abdulla Al Mansoori; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford. £53,750.
3–Changingoftheguard (Ire), 129, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Lady Lara (Ire), by Excellent Art (GB). O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-B V Sangster (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £26,900.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1, HF. Odds: 3.50, 6.50, 7.00.
Also Ran: Deauville Legend (Ire), Free Wind (Ire), Grand Alliance (Ire), Ardakan (GB). Scratched: Hukum (Ire).

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King George Glory For Pyledriver

The heat was on in Saturday's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. at Ascot, a “Win And You're In” for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in November, and there was no hiding place as Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) proved ruthless to prevail for the William Muir and Chris Grassick stable and jockey P J McDonald. Sent off at 18-1 with a below-par second in the June 3 G1 Coronation Cup last time tempering enthusiasm, last year's winner of that Epsom prize was always in his comfort zone with an ideal pace scenario tracking the hard-working duo Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Sent by that tiring pair passing the two pole, the contest was decided surprisingly quickly and he lengthened clear for an emphatic 2 3/4-length success from Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) as they opened up an eight-length gap to the slow-starting Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}). The pair of 3-year-olds, the 13-8 favourite Westover, and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), proved major disappointments as the last pair home. “I honestly believed I'd win from two weeks ago,” an understandably emotional Muir said. “I didn't care what was in it. I've said I never wanted to cry, but I want to cry today.”

 

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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