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.

On Tuesday, the G2 King Edward VII S. became a Derby trial rather than a consolation race for Epsom. For the winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), the adjustments to this season's racing programme have played into the hands of his connections when it comes to having a crack at the Derby, which is 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.”