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King George Hero Pyledriver To Stand Under Coolmore’s NH Banner Next Year

Dual Group 1 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}–La Pyle {Fr}, by Le Havre {Ire}) will stand under the Coolmore National Hunt banner in 2024, Coolmore announced on Friday. Retired earlier this year before being acquired by Coolmore, the 6-year-old won both the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. and the G1 Coronation Cup. A fee will be announced later.

“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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“No-brainer” To Offer Classic Winner At Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Says Cachet Team

Connections of Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) have described it as “a no-brainer” to offer the 1,000 Guineas heroine for sale at the Sceptre Sessions as part of the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls given how strong trade was at the corresponding sale 12 months ago.

Not only did Cachet provide Highclere Racing and trainer George Boughey with a breakthrough domestic Classic success when storming to 1,000 Guineas glory at Newmarket last year, but she also followed up on that effort by running out a gutsy second to Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the French edition.

Cachet was famously bought by Jake Warren on behalf of Highclere for just 60,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. Warren's uncle Harry Herbert, who manages the successful ownership vehicle, recalled, “It all began at the breeze-up sales. Jake was absolutely mad about Cachet–she was the one he absolutely wanted to buy.

“When the hammer came down at 60,000gns, we were over the moon. We heard afterwards that George Boughey was the underbidder so we went to George and said, 'why don't you train her?'”

He added, “It was early days for George and I wanted to have a horse or two with him. This gorgeous filly turned out to be Highclere's first domestic Classic winner. It's been an incredible story because she's such a brave, courageous filly who really wants to do it.”

It was John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud who bred Cachet. In fact, Bourke sniffed out one of the bargains of the century by snapping up Cachet's dam Poyle Sophie (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) for just 3,000gns at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls in 2018.

Little did he know then that Poyle Sophie was carrying what would turn out to be the 2022 1,000 Guineas winner and Herbert remembers what that day meant to the Highclere team.

He said, “My god it was a long last furlong–it was agony! All of the family were there and they were screaming her home. What a day. It was wonderful for George to train his first Classic winner and for Jake, who has inherited his father's [John] brilliant eye to buy a filly that could win a Classic for 60,000gns is absolutely remarkable. A wonderful day.”

Herbert's sentiments were echoed by Warren, who said, “It was wonderful. In my uncle's silks, having found a filly for him to win a Classic was absolutely incredible. My children were there, my parents were there, it was just a very special day. She did us so proud and is an amazing filly.”

Thoughts now turn to offering Cachet at the Sceptre Sessions, where she is sure to command plenty of attention from some of the top breeders around the world. According to Herbert, there was no better place to sell the Classic winner than at Tattersalls in December, given all of the top buyers around the world make that sale a must visit each year.

Herbert said, “It was a no-brainer, really. We saw Classic winners and Group 1 winners make significant sums of money here last year and we've always sold our top fillies at this sale. The world comes to this sale. It is the most significant European sale of mares. A Classic winner heading to the sales is a rarity so hopefully she'll stand out from the crowd.”

Warren went on to explain how he felt Cachet, being a daughter of Aclaim and granddaughter of Acclamation (GB), represented a perfect outcross to visit all of the top stallions around the world before outlining his hopes that the major breeders were as enamored with the filly as he was when he first clapped eyes on her.

He said, “The most important aspect of her pedigree is that she's an outcross for all the top stallions in the world. You can't find a stallion that she can't visit being a granddaughter of Acclamation.

“Her physical attributes are exactly what you'd like to see in a broodmare prospect. She stands over a lot of ground and has a great important frame with beautiful looks about her. She really is outstanding and is something, I hope, that breeders around the world will look at with great envy and be hoping to acquire for their broodmare bands.”

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National Horseracing Museum Stages Kemp-Welsh Exhibit

The National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket will stage the first major retrospective of paintings by Lucy Kemp-Welch, considered Britain's best female equine painter. Kemp-Welsh is perhaps best known for her illustrations of Black Beauty in Anna Sewell's famous novel.

The exhibition, titled “In her own voice: the art of Lucy Kemp-Welch,” will be open from Oct. 21 through Feb. 25, 2024. Several of the paintings are on display to the public for the first time and visitors to The National Horseracing Museum can view over 60 pieces from Kemp-Welch's lifetime, several on loan from private and public collections, including The Imperial War Museum, The Tate, Bushey Museum and Art Gallery (where she studied under Hubert von Herkomer) and Southampton City Art Gallery

The exhibition is included with general admission. For more information visit the National Horseracing Museum website.

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Toronado Colt Leads Third Session at Arqana

DEAUVILLE, France–One last six-figure yearling was added to the list on Thursday when trainer Joel Boisnard went to €130,000 for a Toronado (Ire) colt from Haras de l'Hotellerie to top the third session of Arqana's October Yearling Sale.

A half-brother to two black-type performers, lot 434 is a son of the Prix de Diane place-getter Diyakalanie (Fr) (Ashkalani {Ire}) and was bred by Haras de Sainte Gauburge. Boisnard already trains two of his half-siblings, including Diyashal (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), who was won over fences and hurdles since the catalogue was printed.

Beyond that highlight, trade remained solid through the middle tier with the highest clearance rate of the week so far at 90%. Though Part 2 of the October Sale has been conducted alphabetically over the last two days and is not graded, the figures across other sectors took a dip from the first of these two sessions and was the first this week to be down from the previous year as well. Turnover dropped by 10% to €4,216,500 and the average was down to €26,687 (-21%). The consistency of the trade was evident in the median being not too far below that at €22,000.

For the sale as a whole so far, figures are holding up pretty well, with the overall clearance rate of 86% being particularly noteworthy, while trade is roughly in keeping with last year.

Several of this year's freshman sires in France are heftily represented in the sale. The Haras d'Etreham duo of Persian King (Ire) and Hello Youmzain (Fr) have had 33 and 27 yearlings through the ring respectively across the three days, with Persian King's average being €48,515 and Hello Youmzain's at €54,650. The former French-trained Arc winner Sottsass (Fr), who now resides in Ireland at Coolmore, has had nine sold for an average of €56,222.

Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International, who bought Wednesday's top lot, a daughter of Without Parole (GB), to race for Madaket Group, has now signed for eight yearlings for the American-based owners.

The sale returns to action from 2pm on Friday, with one final session starting at 11am on Saturday.

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