Snowfall, Rainfall And An Oaks Day To Savour

EPSOM, UK—It was an Oaks that delivered everything. An emphatic winner, bred in the purple, racing in the purple, representing a trio of the sport's most powerful owners for whom Epsom's famous winner's circle is almost a home from home. 

It was also a record-breaking winning margin by a filly who reminded us just what a loss Deep Impact (Jpn) was, not just to Japan but to breeders worldwide, when he died at the age of 17 in 2019. Next month, a handful of his final small crop of yearlings will be offered at the JRHA Select Sale in Hokkaido. The Coolmore team was among the select number of European breeders who had mares worthy of a trip to Japan, and their globetrotting endeavours have already been rewarded with the 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn). Now, in Snowfall (Jpn), they have a second British Classic winner bred on that same potent cross that blends the two extraordinarily dominant sires of Japan and Europe, Deep Impact and Galileo. 

It should not be forgotten either that last year's Prix de Diane winner Fancy Blue (Ire), is also by Deep Impact and bred in a similar fashion, being out of a sister to another Epsom hero in High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). And from a limited number of runners in Europe, Deep Impact also sired the 2018 Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man (Ire).

For an Oaks to remember, throw in racing's Mr Showbusiness, Frankie Dettori–in theory playing the unfamiliar role of understudy to Ryan Moore aboard the race favourite Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB})–and you have all the glitz required to light up a racecourse even with a limited number of racegoers. The Queen's Stand, usually packed to this rafters for this weekend, was sparsely populated, even with most of those on track having to take refuge indoors from the ceaseless rain which turned the track into a quagmire and brought the Classic field stand-side as they reeled off Tattenham Corner.

Snowfall clearly didn't mind the rainfall as demonstrated by the menacing way she loomed alongside and swiftly overpowered the long-time leader Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}). But take away the 16-length winner and the terrier-like runner-up, from the determinedly ambitious stable of George Boughey, had plenty of fancy fillies beaten, including the third-placed Divinely (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a full-sister to Snowfall's dam Best In The World (Ire) and to the brilliant Arc winner Found (Ire). While Snowfall and Divinely would have had the Oaks on their agenda even before they were weaned, it is far to say that it was probably not a race that Noelle Walsh, the breeder of Mystery Angel, had envisaged for her filly. But Boughey has already made people sit up and take notice as he has saddled winner after winner since taking out his licence only last season, and perhaps more should have taken notice of the fact that a syndicate of a very different nature to the Coolmore triumvirate had stumped up £22,500 to supplement Mystery Angel to the Oaks line-up on Monday.

As Snowfall sailed across the line in glorious isolation, Boughey, his great pal and key form ally Sam Haggas, and girlfriend Laura Toller, roared and swung each other around as their filly fought her way home. Their celebrations were every bit as wild  as they would have been for a winner, and in a way she was. For this was a massive result for the stable and for Nick Bradley's racing syndicate on a day which started with yet another impressive juvenile winner for both owner and trainer when Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}) landed the Woodcote S. on her third start. 

As the Oaks presentation took place in the winner's circle, the celebratory gaggle was joined by Georg von Opel, a huge investor in some of the Coolmore syndicated horses in recent years and part-owner of the fifth-placed Santa Barbara. Just beyond them out on the track where the placed horses unsaddle, Mystery Angel was surrounded by her large, happy band of owners for a photo that will undoubtedly grace plenty of walls. Their investment would have been far smaller but their joy no less confined. 

Just over an hour earlier there had been a similarly pleasing story to the Coronation Cup when Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), who had finished 11th in last year's Derby and third in the St Leger, enjoyed an official coming of age. 

By the admission post-race of his co-owner/breeder Roger Devlin, Pyledriver is not as regally bred as some of those he was taking on, but he has a tenacity akin to Mystery Angel's and only temporarily surrendered the advantage he had gained when bowling into the lead halfway round, before grabbing it back from the imposing favourite Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

For his jockey Martin Dwyer, who is not among the most fashionable names in the weighing-room, it brought up a hat-trick of Epsom Group 1s that few of his colleagues can match. It has been a long time in the earning, from the day he gave the then-young Andrew Balding his first Classic success with Casual Look (Red Ransom) in the Oaks of 2003, followed by the Derby victory for Sir Percy (GB) ((Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) for Marcus Tregoning and owners Anthony and Victoria Pakenham. The Coronation Cup may not be a Classic but success will have been all the sweeter for the fact that it was the first at Group 1 level for Dwyer's father-in-law William Muir, who this year added Chris Grassick to his training licence.

Devlin shared in Dwyer's joy, and as he watched the replay of the win for the colt he bred in partnership with Guy and Hugh Leach, he said, “Primarily we're delighted for William because he's been training for 30 years and this is his first Group 1 winner. We've been in it for a couple of years and we're very grateful to William for all the effort he puts in.”

He continued, “We thought [Pyledriver] would improve as a 4-year-old. He's fairly modestly bred, like the owners, and we didn't think he had huge stallion potential so it was important for us to get the Group 1 on his CV. That's job done. I'm not quite sure where we go from here. He's entered in the Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, but that might come a bit soon, and he has entries in the King George and the Arc, and he proved today he acts on pretty soft ground.”

The owners have much to look forward to as Pyledriver's 10-year-old dam La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) has a 3-year-old filly by New Approach (GB) named Country Pyle (GB) who is set to make her debut in the coming weeks, as well as a juvenile Oasis Dream (GB) colt called Stockpyle (GB). 

Devlin added, “We also have a yearling filly by Frankel (GB) and La Pyle is in foal to Kingman (GB). We took the decision to invest and we hope it pays off.”

He also remembered his late friend and advisor Kevin Mercer, the former owner of Usk Valley Stud, where Pyledriver was bred. 

“If it hadn't been for Kevin we wouldn't be here today. He had the vision and the knowledge to think that the mare had it in her,” he said. 

Martin Dwyer admitted after the race that he feared he could be replaced on Pyledriver by a bigger-name jockey. He said: “I love this place, I always have. I've had some great times riding here and I've been lucky. Half my worry was losing the ride on him. It's not easy when you are not fashionable and you are not riding. You will have owners own a good horse like him and then it doesn't pan out and he doesn't win.”

He continued, “The Derby was a write-off and then there are always people saying, 'why don't you use X, Y, Z as they are riding tons of winners and why are you using him as he is not high flying at the moment?' But that is sport and that is what happens so you have to really fight your corner.”

In Pyledriver he has found a fellow battler, and the pair ensured that the day wasn't only about a 21st Classic victory for one of the world's most recognisable jockeys and a 40th British Classic for the unstoppable Aidan O'Brien, who has now won this season's 1000 Guineas and Oaks with the fillies who earned their trainer a £4,000 fine for bearing the wrong saddle cloths in last season's G1 Fillies' Mile. 

For syndicates from one end of the scale to the other, there was plenty to cheer about on Oaks day. There's currently an advertisement on the British racing channels aimed at improving diversity and inclusivity which has the simple catchline of 'Racing is everyone's sport'. On Friday at Epsom it certainly felt so.

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A £10,000 RNA, Royal Ascot Winner Pyledriver Continues Fairytale Season In Saturday’s Investec Derby

Pyledriver surprised bettors with a $41.80 upset in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes on opening day at Royal Ascot, defeating Mohican Heights (David Simcock) and the highly-regarded Aidan O'Brien trainee Mogul. Now, Pyledriver will try to continue his fairytale campaign in Saturday's Group 1 Investec Derby at Epsom.

The Harbour Watch colt was a £10,000 (US$14,006) RNA at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and his trio of breeders, Guy and Hugh Leach and Roger Devlin, decided to keep him in training with William Muir.

Pyledriver rewarded that faith with a win in a listed stakes race as a juvenile, and the colt began his 2020 season with a staying-on second behind Berlin Tango in the G3 Classic Trial at Kempton Park on June 3.

The June 16 King Edward victory was especially sweet for Muir, whose only previous winner at the Royal Meeting had been 18 years prior when Zargus landed the Balmoral Handicap. It was also the eighth Royal win for his jockey, Martin Dwyer, who is Muir's son in law.

Dwyer won the Derby in 2006 aboard Sir Percy, so his experience and the colt's penchant for wet ground could lead to an upset on Saturday.

“We could not have been happier with Pyledriver at Ascot and he has come out of the race really well,” Muir said. “I said from Ascot that he had to come right back to his best at home [if he is to run at Epsom]. That includes putting weight on and he has done that.

“We thought Pyledriver was a good horse at the beginning of the year, although because of the season and how it has turned out, we are able to have an Investec Derby runner, something which might not have happened in an ordinary year because he would have to have been supplemented.

“Martin [Dwyer, jockey] will have a sit on him again on Tuesday morning, but he will just have a normal routine between now and the race. He is fit and healthy, and we will just keep him right.

“There are one or two very strong horses in the Derby, but he has not done anything wrong. His time was good at Royal Ascot and he has come out of the race well. Everybody is excited, and we are really looking forward to it.”

Bookmakers have Pyledriver sixth in the Derby betting at 16-1 thus far.

“I'm realistic on the chance,” co-owner Guy Leach told The Guardian. “There's obviously a lot of other good horses. But we're just delighted to be there and he just keeps surpassing all expectations. You just hope he gets a clean run.”

The post A £10,000 RNA, Royal Ascot Winner Pyledriver Continues Fairytale Season In Saturday’s Investec Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Driving On With The Derby Dream

There are countless ways in which the Coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on the world at large and our smaller racing world within, but every now and then a positive aspect will emerge.

In the case of Tuesday’s G2 King Edward VII S. winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), the adjustments to this season’s racing programme may well have played into the hands of his connections when it comes to having a crack at the Derby, a race now being given serious consideration following the colt’s authoritative victory at Royal Ascot.

Odds of 18/1 in a six-runner field which included two Aidan O’Brien runners—one of those being the 3.4 million gns yearling purchase Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire})—give an indication of the wider view of Pyledriver’s chances but his trainer William Muir arrived at Ascot full of confidence.

“He didn’t take me by surprise,” said Muir on Wednesday morning, admitting that he felt “jetlagged” after enjoying his most high-profile victory to date with a horse ridden by his son-in-law Martin Dwyer and for loyal owners racing their first homebred.

“When we first went to Salisbury, I said to his owners that he showed plenty of natural talent but that he was still a baby. We all had £20 on him each-way that day at 50/1 and what a night we had. We knew then that we had ability.”

After breaking his maiden in July, Pyledriver later won the listed Ascendant S. over a mile at Salisbury, but was last of the seven runners in the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S., a performance his trainer puts down to him still being on the weak side at two.

He said, “He had a really long break and when he came back he was just doing things so well. All our plans had gone out of the window. If there had been no Covid-19 we would have gone to the Craven and seen how he did there, and if he had run well, he would have gone to Ireland for the Guineas. There were also a few races in France, but how things have worked out now is unbelievable.”

It is certainly a near-unbelievable start for Pyledriver’s trio of owner-breeders Roger Devlin and brothers Guy and Hugh Leach. Along with two other friends, they bought his dam, the dual French Flat winner La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), with the intention of continuing her career in the National Hunt sphere. It’s safe to say that their ambitions for the 9-year-old mare have now been significantly adjusted. After five underwhelming starts over hurdles for Philip Hobbs, La Pyle was retired to stud. Two of her owners dropped out of the partnership and the others opted to try their hand for the first time as breeders. With the help of another mutual friend and long-time owner with Muir, the late Kevin Mercer, La Pyle joined the Mercer family’s Usk Valley Stud as a boarder.

“Kevin Mercer was an absolute superstar, I can’t say enough about him and his wife Sue. It was an honour and a pleasure to have been a friend of his and I really wish he were still here to see this,” said Muir. “It was Kevin’s idea to go to Harbour Watch at Tweenhills to get her started.”

Before long, La Pyle’s pedigree received two good updates, with her half-brother Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}) winning the G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris in the year in which Pyledriver was conceived. The following year her full-sister Normandel (Fr) won the listed Prix Melisande for their breeder Gerard Augustin-Normand before switching to the ownership of Ballylinch Stud and winning the G3 Park Express S. in Ireland.

“Then people started ringing up offering quite big money for La Pyle,” said Muir. “And the offers kept getting bigger but they decided to keep going with her because there were three of them involved. Then this lad came along and Kevin suggested they offer him in the foal sale just to see what he would make. They thought if he sold well they could put the money into the next one, because by then the mare was in foal to New Approach (GB).”

At Tattersalls, however, it wasn’t simply a case of the colt not making his 10,000gns reserve. By that stage his sire was out of favour with buyers, and even as a first foal from a winning sister to a stakes winner with Group 1 winners under the second and third dams, there was no bid for Pyledriver. Now, less than three years later, he stands on the cusp of lining up at Epsom for the breeders who kept faith in him and who also have his 2-year-old half-sister in training with Muir. Furthermore, La Pyle has a yearling colt by Oasis Dream (GB), a filly foal by Frankel (GB) and is now in foal to Kingman (GB).

“We will give the Derby serious thought,” said Muir. “We’ll see how the horse comes out of [Tuesday’s race].  I thought Ascot was going to come a bit quick for a horse like this but he put his weight back on very quickly after Kempton. In fact he didn’t just put it back on, he put more on. I weighed him yesterday morning and he went to the races nine kilos heavier than he was at Kempton.”

He continued, “I went to Ascot yesterday and I thought I could have two winners. Of course we didn’t know how good Aidan’s two horses were: on their pedigree and form and the way people were talking they looked pretty good, but I knew I would beat the English. He’s really stepping up to the mark now.”

Muir’s first runner at Ascot this week, Jack’s Point (GB) (Slade Power {Ire}), was runner-up in the opening race, the Buckingham Palace H., and he will bid to go one better when he returns on Saturday for the Wokingham S. Pyledriver also appears to have come out of his race well.

Muir confirmed, “He’s absolutely brilliant. He’s a great moving horse and he trotted up fantastically. He only left a small handful [of feed], which was really good, so he’s in perfect shape. I’ll monitor him over the next few days and see how he goes, and if he’s right the Derby will be the next port of call.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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