A deflated William Muir was on Tuesday coming to phrases with the newest setback suffered by his steady star Pyledriver, whose future could also be up within the air.
Muir, who trains in partnership with Chris Grassick, deliberate to run his King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero within the Betuk Winter Derby Stakes at Lingfield on February 25 earlier than a visit to Meydan for the Dubai Sheema Basic on the finish of March, however these races are actually off the agenda.
“The whole lot was going brilliantly and I used to be buzzing, however yesterday morning he completed a routine canter and was a tiny bit off on his near-fore,” Muir mentioned. “We’ve obtained to attend on assessments, however I knew the place we have been – he was in incredible form and the three bits of labor he’d accomplished have been gorgeous. It’s irritating, however it’s a kind of issues.”
Pyledriver gained the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2020 and adopted up together with his first top-level victory within the Coronation Cup a yr later. The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe has been amongst his essential targets for the final two seasons, however he has missed out due to damage.
Muir, who trains the homebred in Lambourn for the La Pyle Partnership, added: “Nothing jumps out. His legs are ice chilly and it’s not a fracture that we are able to see, however we’ve obtained to attend for scans within the subsequent day or so.
“I might throw the King George in July on the market if we may very well be again for that point of yr, or if it’s very minor and we may very well be again for no matter, however, in my thoughts, I’ve taken him out of the Lingfield race and the Sheema Basic. It’s powerful to take. I used to be doing backflips final week as a result of he was proper again on monitor and I believed we have been in enterprise. I’m simply hoping it’s a LBW and he’s again for the subsequent innings.”
Pyledriver will not be fashionably bred, being by Harbour Watch, however solely 4 horses produced higher turf performances than him in 2022 and connections might contemplate his future as a stallion if the damage is severe.
Muir mentioned: “Horses are very valuable to me and, regardless that he was only one per cent off, I’ve obtained to take it significantly, so we’ve obtained to search out out what the issue is. I don’t need him to be dangerous that results in him being actually dangerous. He’s a handsome horse who has gained a King George and Coronation Cup and different first rate races, and his score [124] confirmed how good he’s, so he would make an excellent stallion someplace. That’s one thing to discover if we are able to’t get him again, however he’s nearly as good, if not higher, than he was – his labored confirmed me that.
“If I believe he’d discover it troublesome to return again, then we’ll search for a stallion job, however we haven’t pursued that or talked about it.”
Courtesy of Racing Submit