PJ McDonald has landed the plum spare ride aboard Pyledriver in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
With regular partner Martin Dwyer currently sidelined with a knee injury and Frankie Dettori – on board for the five-year-old’s last two starts – set to ride Emily Upjohn at Ascot, William Muir had been inundated with offers from the weighing room.
But Muir, who trains Pyledriver in tandem with Chris Grassick, has handed the mount to McDonald, who boasts an unbeaten record on the son of Harbour Watch.
“‘PJ’ has only ridden him once, but he won on him – that was in the Ascendant Stakes [at Haydock Park] as a two-year-old,” said Muir.
“No disrespect to any of the boys, but we wanted someone who knows him and who could commit to ride him so that we could get some consistency.
“The other boys are committed to top-class horses, and PJ said he would commit to riding him until Martin comes back.
“We want to go to the Arc and we’d like to go to Hong Kong, and we want someone to come with us.”
Muir, whose stable star – and 2021 Coronation Cup hero – is a 10-1 chance for the clash of the generations, added: “He did a canter round Newbury this morning and now we will just freshen him up and keep him ticking over.
“We know that the Derby looked like a fantastic race and the Irish Derby looked like a magnificent race – but they haven’t met the older horses yet.”
Meanwhile, Blackbeard earned a 25-1 quote for next year’s 2,000 Guineas with a three-length victory from Aidan O’Brien stablemate The Antarctic in the Group 2 Darley Prix Robert Papin at Deauville on Sunday.
O’Brien also captured the two Group 2 events at the Curragh as Lily Pond took the Kilboy Estate Stakes at the Curragh to supplement Order Of Australia’s repeat win in the Romanised Minstrel Stakes.
