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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