Pyledriver staked his claim for the Derby with a determined win in Tuesday’s Gr2 King Edward VII Stakes (12f) at Royal Ascot.
Coming through between horses early in the home straight, Pyledriver stayed on strongly to defeat Arthur’s Kingdom by two lengths with Mohican Heights the same distance away third with the odds-on favourite Mogul a one-paced fourth.
A son of Harbour Watch, Pyledriver was offered for sale as a yearling but was led out unsold at 10,000gns and trainer Willie Muir said was still improving.
“This horse is still a big, weak horse baby, he has progressed and progressed. It is only the last three days that he has come alight,” Muir said. “I went to feel his legs the other night and he reared up on top of me, and I thought, ‘you’re coming now, you’re getting your strength up’. I knew he’d stay, and he’s got a turn of foot.
“I suppose we will have to think about the Derby. We have got two weeks and a bit longer. He’s had an easy run there today – he has gone round in the slip-stream and just picked up.
“I thought we would run a big race, but there were one or two horses in here that were well-touted, well-talked about. Aidan O’Brien said that Mogul was probably his best Derby hope.”
Guy Leach, who owns Pyledriver in partnership with his brother Hugh and Roger Devlin, was naturally delighted with the win but lamented the lockdown situation.
“Unfortunately, it is going to be very quiet. We are in Wales and not allowed to travel more than five miles, it is all very different. But I will still enjoy the night with a glass and watch the race over and over again,: Leach said.
“The horse will tell us, we will have to see what he is like or what William thinks over the next few days. We must remember we would have never have been in the Derby in a normal year and we would never have supplemented him. If the horse is well enough, I am sure we’ll take our chance.”