Pyledriver has been handed a pair of Ascot objectives for when he makes his return to the track later this summer.
William Muir and Chris Grassick’s stable star was last sighted winning the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the Berkshire track last July, but has been on the sidelines since.
He was being prepared for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when he suffered an injury and with a trip to Paris ruled out, sights were set on Meydan and an attempt at bettering the Dubai Sheema Classic fourth Pyledriver achieved in the spring of 2022.
A further setback early in the year once again curtailed those plans with connections fearing the final chapter for their seven-time scorer may have already been written.
However, Grassick reports he is now back training well and being prepared for the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot before moving on to a defence of his King George title at the track in July.
He said: “He’s cantering back and William has done the entry for the Hardwicke, so that’s the plan.
“Touch wood, everything is looking lovely, he looks great and strong.
“I think from there we would be going to the King George and after that it would be just how he comes out of each race. He remains in good form and hopefully if he remains as good as last year, then we will have a big year again.
“He’s slowly becoming a bit of a fan favourite. He’s developing a bit of a following now because he comes back year in, year out, so hopefully he can keep going and get the results he deserves both for himself and the owners.”
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“I’m just waiting for my operation on April 24. The operation is not severe, it is just to take out scar tissue and see what the problem is, because the knee just won’t bend. It keeps flaring up,” said Dwyer.
“I’m in Oaksey House (rehabilitation centre in Lambourn) doing everything I can, but the injury has just plateaued and we just can’t move forward.
“The original injury, the ligaments, have healed nicely, which is the main thing, but I can’t get it to bend and take weight properly.”
Dwyer, who won the 2006 Derby aboard Sir Percy for Marcus Tregoning, missed out on the winning ride aboard the Willie Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Pyledriver in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer.
Any thoughts of retirement have been put on the back-burner for the time being, however.
“We will cross that bridge when we come to it. Even if I’m not riding again, even getting back to normal life, I’m going to have to keep going through the same procedure,” he added.
“I’ve just got to throw the kitchen sink at rehab and get my knee right. Once I have my leg right, I will make decisions from there.”
The ardent Everton fan is married to Muir’s daughter, Claire, who recently suffered a broken leg in a fall.
“She was bed-bound for a couple of weeks, because the bone came through the skin and so I’m like Mrs Doubtfire at home, hobbling around. The pair of us, it’s a nightmare,” added Dwyer.
“I’m going to have to get a double scooter. They say bad luck comes in threes, so I’m worried about Everton going down!”
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William Muir faces an anxious wait for the scan results which could determine the future of his stable star Pyledriver following a new setback.
The six-year-old was last seen galloping to King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes glory at Ascot last summer, having since missed out on a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe through injury.
The long road to recovery was set to lead to a trip to Meydan for another crack at the Dubai Sheema Classic, in which he finished an unlucky fourth in last year, but a fresh problem has curtailed that plan – as well as an intended prep race in the Winter Derby at Lingfield on February 25.
“When he pulled up after a piece of work he was a tiny bit off on his near-fore,” said Muir, who trains in partnership with Chris Grassick.
“He’s such a lovely individual who is never short or anything and we’ve just got to wait to get all the scans done and taken before we can say what we’re doing.
“I’ve spoke to the owners and I spoke to the vet and he said ‘I would forget the Winter Derby’.
“We would have been there no problem at all and the way he was going I know he hasn’t lost anything – he was in very good form.
“That is very disappointing, but we have to do what is right for the horse and we have to find out what it is.
“It’s minute, a lot of people would look at him and say he’s fine but I know him like the back of my hand and I know he was not right. When he pulled up yesterday the lad who rides him all the time said ‘Boss he just didn’t feel quite right’ and he just looks slightly off.”
With his Lingfield return off the table, Muir has also shelved plans for a return to Dubai on World Cup night and is now just hoping to receive positive news about a horse that he describes as a “special part of my life”.
“There’s no point, I’m not going to go straight there (Dubai),” continued Muir. “Those two races are gone and we basically have to see what the results tell us.
“If it is something we can cure and look after and get him 100 per cent where he’s not lost any ability then we will carry on. If we find it is something worse than that then we will have to deal with it and go on and make him a stallion somewhere.
Jockey PJ McDonald (right) celebrates on Pyledriver after winning the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot (John Walton/PA)
“To me there is a lot of countries in the world who would love a horse like this because he’s a lovely looking individual and he’s been a fantastic racehorse with a very high rating.
“That’s the furthest thought in my mind, but I’m trying to prepare myself for it because if that is the case, then that is the case. I’m hoping we get the results back in the next few days and it says this, this and this and we can manage it fine.
“The only thing though is that comes first is the horse – that is the reason we’ll wait. You have to do what is right for these animals.
“He has been one of the best things in my training career and a special part of my life, but it doesn’t matter if it was him or the horse running at Southwell on Tuesday night, you’ve always got to do what is right for the horses.”
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William Muir insists Martin Dwyer will keep the ride on King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Pyledriver once he returns from a knee injury.
A son of Harbour Watch, both the La Pyle Partnership-owned six-year-old and his jockey have been sidelined.
While Dwyer is still undergoing treatment for a torn ACL and has spent the last year out of action, Pyledriver is now nearing his first start since last summer’s victory at Ascot and is being primed to make his comeback in the BetUK Winter Derby at Lingfield next month.
Trained by Muir in partnership with Chris Grassick, Pyledriver was was being prepared for October’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but suffered a setback that also ruled him out of the Breeders’ Cup.
The February 25 all-weather contest will be a stepping stone for a trip to Meydan for the Dubai Sheema Classic at the end of March.
Muir said: “The timing is perfect for Dubai. That is where we are hoping to go. We are turning the wheel to get there.
“We did the same when we went to Hong Kong in 2021, we went to Lingfield first.
“Yes, the trip is not ideal over a mile and a quarter, but so what? It is a prep race to try and put the finishing touches on. I don’t want to get to Dubai and have to really crank him up there.
“So he will go there and it is a race where he will run well, but you may get some match-fit horses against him.
“But what does it matter? There are going to be other targets throughout the summer and this is the starting point.”
He added: “He is doing everything we are asking of him and we are starting to turn the wheel faster and faster. We will hopefully be in good shape when we get there. Everything seems to be rock and roll.”
Martin Dwyer will resume his partnership once he returns from injury (Mike Egerton/PA)
The homebred, who also won the 2021 Coronation Cup and was fourth in last year’s Sheema Classic for the Linkslade yard, will again be partnered by PJ McDonald, who continues to deputise for Muir’s son-in-law.
Muir added: “When Martin is back, Martin will get back on him. PJ understands and Martin understands.
“But there is no question, as long as PJ is around and safe and sound, PJ is keeping the ride on him if Martin is not available.
“Martin needs to have something to look forward to. He has never been out for this length of time, and it’s a tough thing for him.”
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Pyledriver is among a field of 12 for the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster.
William Muir’s stable star will try to complete his fairytale rise on Saturday, after victories in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Great Voltigeur at York.
The Lambourn trainer’s ace will face the might of Ballydoyle, with Aidan O’Brien three-handed as he aims to win the Leger for a seventh time. Irish Derby hero Santiago heads his team, completed by Dawn Patrol and Mythical.
Joseph O’Brien’s Galileo Chrome and Sunchart, trained by Andy Slattery, are the other Irish-based runners.
Ed Walker has declared English King, but the Lingfield Derby Trial victor is more likely to go to France for Sunday’s Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp.
Walker told Sky Sports Racing: “We’ve declared for the St Leger – but the plan for a long time has been to head to France, and we’re still very much leaning that way.
“We’re just very concerned about travel arrangements and the changing world of Covid. With numbers increasing here, the last thing in the world we want is for France to slap a two-week quarantine on people coming from England to France and then we can’t go – so we’re just covering all angles.
“We have to decide finally by 8.30am tomorrow, so it basically gives us an extra day to see how the water lies. If everything is equal we’ll be going to Paris on Sunday.
“Tom (Marquand) is booked to ride in the Leger, because I told Frankie (Dettori) a few weeks ago we were very unlikely to run in the Leger – and as far as I understand, Frankie is riding Santiago.
“Frankie is already (set to be) in France to ride Stradivarius, so I think we’ve got everything covered. It’s a huge day for Bjorn (Nielsen, owner) with Stradivarius back over a mile and a half in the Prix Foy on his way to the Arc.
“I think English King is as good as I’ve had him all year, to be honest. I know he’s got doubters now but I’m not one and I’m hoping this weekend he’ll prove them all wrong.”
Hukum (left) was a decisive winner of Newbury’s Geoffrey Freer Stakes (Alan Crowhurst/PA)
Hukum, winner of the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury, will bid to give his trainer Owen Burrows a first Classic triumph at Doncaster.
Berkshire Rocco, Mohican Heights, Subjectivist and Tyson Fury complete the dozen hopefuls.
The three withdrawals at the 48-hour final declaration stage were Max Vega, Tiger Moth and Believe In Love – due to run in the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster on Thursday afternoon.
Chindit is set to put his unbeaten record on the line at Doncaster (Bill Selwyn/PA)
Richard Hannon’s unbeaten colt Chindit faces six opponents in the Group Two bet365 Champagne Stakes.
Among the Ascot Listed race winner’s rivals are the experienced pair of Broxi and Devious Company, as well as Owen Burrows’ Albasheer and Irish raider State Of Rest.
Two past winners of the Prix de la Foret – Limato and One Master – are among eight runners in the Group Two bet365 Park Stakes.
Wichita, runner-up in the 2000 Guineas, and Jersey Stakes scorer Molatham represent the Classic generation.
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William Muir is confident Pyledriver is at the top of his game for the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster.
The Harbour Watch colt was a 40-1 shot when runner-up on his seasonal reappearance at Kempton in early June, but has made giant strides since and disputes favouritism with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Santiago for the season’s final Classic on Saturday.
Muir acknowledges success on Town Moor would be a huge achievement for his small team during a time when, more often than not, the top prizes go to the bigger yards.
He said: “There’s a great mood in the camp. We have seven staff riding out, three staff in the yard, the staff in the office and me. It’s a small team, and everyone is delighted.
“We have about 26 horses. We’re not a fashionable yard – everyone wants somebody younger and more fashionable. It’s just one of those things, but if this horse could go and win on Saturday it would be fantastic for the whole team and everyone around it.”
A surprise win in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot was followed by a luckless run in the Derby at Epsom, since when Pyledriver has given weight and a sound beating to his rivals in the Great Voltigeur at York last month.
Muir revealed the colt’s owners have received “life-changing” offers to sell over the course of the summer, but have so far resisted all potential buyers for a horse who did not even meet his reserve of £10,000 when sent to the sales as a foal.
William Muir with Pyledriver after his Royal Ascot triumph (Edward Whitaker/PA)
“Anybody can come into this game, go out with a relatively small amount of money and you can find these good horses. They’re hard to come by, but you can find them,” Muir added.
“The owners have turned down some big offers. If the offers had been accepted I don’t think he would have stayed in this country – places like Australia and Hong Kong wanted him really badly.
“If one person had owned him, you couldn’t have said no to the kind of offers we got – it was life-changing money – but there’s three of them, and they wanted to keep him.”
The Lambourn handler insists he could not be happier with his stable star as he completes preparations for a race that is part of the 2020 Qipco British Champions Series – and he is optimistic the son of unbeaten sprinter Harbour Watch will stay the distance of a mile and three-quarters.
“He’s in great order and has done all the work he needs to do. As long as he stays like this for the rest of the week, I couldn’t be taking him there in better shape,” said Muir.
“I’ve always been a glass-half-full kind of person – my glass is always overflowing, to be fair.
“I think he will stay and I think we’ve got a great chance, but it is a horse race. I thought we had a great chance in the Derby, and it all went wrong, but you shake yourself down and go again.”
Whatever happens this weekend, Muir already has his eyes on some other major races – both this year and next.
“He’ll go for the Champion Stakes at Ascot after Saturday, as long as the hose is fine. That will be his last run of the year, because we’re not going abroad – it’s too difficult with the Covid,” Muir added.
“Next year is mapped out already in my mind. You could start off at Newmarket in the Jockey Club Stakes, then you’d go Coronation Cup at Epsom, Hardwicke at Royal Ascot, the King George – and at the back-end of the season, if we’re out of this Covid, we could go for the Arc.”
Pyledriver was one of 15 horses left in the St Leger at Monday’s confirmation stage.
As well as Santiago, Aidan O’Brien may be represented by Dawn Patrol, Mythical and Tiger Moth – while his son Joseph could saddle the progressive Galileo Chrome.
English King is among Pyledriver’s potential rivals (Mark Cranham/PA)
Other leading hopes include the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, Mark Johnston’s Subjectivist and Ed Walker’s English King.
The latter also has the option of running in the Grand Prix de Paris the following afternoon.
“He’s in great form and is all set to run somewhere this weekend,” said Walker.
“We’ll have a look at both races during the week, see what the ground is looking like and decide where we go.
“We’ll make a decision much closer to the time.”
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